Poth

Teaching Philosophy


I believe that the most important aspect of teaching is the relationship that a
teacher forms with each individual student. A quote from Patrick Shannon
summarizes my beliefs: And as teachers we know, perhaps better than any parent,
politician, or technocrat, that each of our students is unique. Each year, there will
be 20 or so children that will impact my experience in the classroom, and it is my
job to provide the same unique experience for each child. Getting to know the
students family, background, way of living, etc. will be of the utmost importance to
me when first meeting them. I will use the first day of school to convey to the
students that I view them as equals and I can learn as much from them as they can
from me. Given a positive environment and support, love, respect, etc., a child will
learn to trust the teacher and understand that the teacher is here to be a guide and
assist them in their academic journey. While I may be older and wiser, expressing to
the students that we are all one family within our classroom is one of the first
objectives with each class I will teach.
As teachers, we have the opportunity to impact and shape young minds. I
believe that children are born with a blank slate and how they are raised and absorb
information around them is how the nature of a child is formed. Every child can be
said to be born on a neutral level and how they are raised and immersed in their
respective culture or environment can play a factor in how a childs nature is
perceived. There has to be careful observation and assumption to an extent. I will
try to suppress all previous bias and assumptions of my children, and understand
that there is always something behind a childs behavior. If a child is perceived by
others as a poorly behaved child or along those lines, I must be sure not to
automatically assume that it is the parents or environment that they were raised in,
and vise-versa.
Today there are ongoing debates of teaching to the test where teachers lack
autonomy and, rightfully so, worry about their own job and sustainability. Teachers
have been encouraged to use best practice in their classrooms, but can often find
difficulty in doing so while meeting the standards in the curriculum. As a future
educator, I will make my classroom something unique that will spark the majority of
the classrooms interest. Far too often do I see students complete worksheet after
worksheet while glued to their chairs for the majority of the day. In my classroom,
there will be a stressed emphasis on inquiry-based curriculum, self-discovery
curriculum, and integrated curriculum. I will incorporate these best practice traits
all while meeting the standards that are required by the state. The most important
aspect for me in my teaching is to allow for student driven instruction, hands-on
learning, and providing the opportunity for students to discover new things from
their experiences in the classroom.

Poth

Mistakes call for teaching, not punishment. I am a firm believer that every
child is full of curiosity and amazement of the world and things around them.
Students are constantly being told what they cannot do and negativity can easily
permeate throughout the classroom. Every choice that a student makes can be seen
as an attempt to understand the world around them. I strongly believe that children
need to be encouraged to take these leaps of curiosity to learn and discover new
things and form experiences from these opportunities. I want each student to
understand that my classroom will not be a place for negativity, but rather a second
home to absorb and learn new things everyday. Instead of punishment for
unacceptable behavior, a lesson can be learned from each situation and become a
teachable moment if handled properly.
With every child that enters my classroom, I want to have a lasting effect on
them long after they have left and moved to higher grades. Early childhood teaching
is a time when children are constantly absorbing new information all around them.
I will become a small stepping-stone in each childs journey through the educational
system. I will exert as much effort as possible to leave a positive and lasting effect
on every child. As a teacher, I will form the strongest relationships with all of my
students. When parents or others are not there to listen to a child, I will always
make sure I am a person who they can feel comfortable and trust, regardless the
situation.