Philosophy Statement

As an early childhood special education teacher, my goal and mission is to help foster the
development of communication, social-emotional, self-help, and cognitive skills crucial to
academic learning that maximizes each childs potential in life and school. Through my various
experiences in the classroom in the Champaign-Urbana community, and from the various
courses I have taken at the University of Illinois, I know this cannot be done alone. My belief is
that by forming a collaborative partnership with the families of my students, staff in the school,
and various community organizations, my students will be able to access the active and enriching
learning environment needed to be successful. An active and enriching learning environment
helps young children and their families feel empowered. I want to create a learning environment
that facilities personal, social, and educational success for young children. It is my belief that as
an early childhood special education teacher I am helping young children succeed in the
classroom, and in partnership with their families, other staff members and the community, I am
also helping young children succeed in life.
Throughout my time at the University and because of the various opportunities presented
to me through volunteering and student teaching, I have had the opportunity to work with
children from different cultural, linguistic, social-economic, and educational backgrounds. From
these experiences I have come to value what my young students and their families can and will
bring into our classroom community. The variety of cultural and life experiences of my young
students and their families are valuable resources that can enrich my instruction, the childrens
learning, our classroom and school community. I have an inclusive philosophy of education
which means that I look at the experiences, abilities, cultures, and knowledge that all of my
students bring into the classroom as assets instead of deficits. My students who are English

language learners, at-risk for academic failure, receiving special education services, and/or
who are typically developing all have something they bring with them that enriches my
classroom.
I strive to construct a welcoming, inclusive, and playful environment that maximizes my
students potential to achieve their individual goals across all areas of development, including
communicative, cognitive, physical and social-emotional development. I believe that in order for
my students to achieve these various goals in development, the classroom environment I create
and my delivery of instruction must provide opportunities for them to reach these goals.
The environment I create must provide purposeful play opportunities that are essential to
learning, be a physically accessible environment for all, and facilitate ongoing positive
interactions and relationships with adults and peers in the environment. Moreover, the
environment must be reflective of the students in the classroom (i.e. students work, family
photos, home language supports, family cultures, etc.).
For my instruction to be effective, I must recognize and respond to student differences in
readiness, interests, and learning abilities. I must be aware of developmental differences among
my students and plan, teach, and arrange a classroom environment that accommodates each
childs unique needs and interests. My belief is that I must incorporate whole-group instruction
to introduce new concepts and skills, both small-group instruction and one-on-one instruction to
provide further targeted instruction, and have various centers that allow for independent practice
through interactions with peers. My instruction will be based on learning goals I set for students,
informal and formal assessments of my students, and observations of my students in various
settings.
It is also my belief that I need to continuously reflect on my practices as a teacher. I have

to reflect on the environment I create, reflect on my instruction to understanding how to modify

instruction to better reach my students, and reflect on my assessment strategies and data to
understand where to go next with my students.
Ignacio Estrada, an educator, said, If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we
should teach the way they learn. This nicely summarizes my philosophy of education. I will
adapt and modify my plans, my classroom environment, and my teaching to the needs and
interests of my students. With visual supports, realia, cooperative learning activities, peer and
adult modeling, scaffolding, and other evidence-based practices that help students succeed, I
want to give my students the best chance I can to begin their educational journey.