Educators base their teaching on their personal philosophical beliefs.

They determine
what they believe is educationally appropriate for their students, and link it to the research which
they base their ideas. This combination forms a skill set that early childhood educators use to
build a foundation for students. My personal philosophical statement focuses on providing
children with a safe and nurturing environment. I believe with this initial foundation, a child is
able to grow and attain educational information throughout their lives. I also feel that my
educational goals should include the development of learning as a community, to gain
relationships with not only the children but their families as well. Children will learn more when
the entire community is involved.
Creating a foundation that supports cognitive, physical and social developmental needs
can provide a child to grow and mature. To accomplish this, we must provide students an
environment where they may explore and express themselves, while providing support as you are
challenging them to reach their fullest potential. This falls in line with Montessori theory. In the
article Holistic Education: An approach for 21 Century; Sirous Mahmoudi states the following
with regards to Maria Montessori. Montessori believed that if children were provided with a
nurturing environment, Horme would direct the natural unfolding of the child personality and
powers so that he or she would become an independent adult. Montessori firmly believed that
making children learn things was not as important as keeping intelligence alive. The key, then, is
to develop a learning environment in which the childs intelligence can naturally unfolds.
(Montessori1965). (Mahmoudi, Vol.5, No2; April 2012 pg.180)
I believe in order to create an equal educated classroom an educator should support those
who are below others as well as challenge those who are above. Teaching to the needs of all
children as diverse as they can be, creates a classroom with quality and equality.

Every child is individually unique and has his/her own process of learning and
development. I believe basing my teachings around what interests the students, will be more
effective to their learning than following a curriculum which may not allow for creativity in how
it is presented. Students are able to explore and be more motivated to learn, when given materials
that pertain to their interests. This method would also foster a positive building of
teacher/student relationships which hold great value within the classroom.
Piaget and other theories coincide with many of my beliefs of early childhood education.
The Constructivist theory is based around a person's cognitive development. It is knowledge
"constructed by previous learning attained through life experiences. A child's initial experiences
are ones which involve a sense of wonder through play. At first it is the play between parent and
infant. Later, it can be the beginnings of activities which involve people other than mom or dad.
Continuing the sense of play in the classroom when children reach school age, has many benefits
to an educational curriculum. Placing students in an environment for play, allows them to be able
to expand their exploration and learn from first hand experiences. Play creates a sense of
examination for children as they use materials within the classroom. It also develops and
supports skills in social development, which are vital for children in a school setting.
Creating an
environment based around educational play, coincides with Constructivist Theory. Students are
able to learn how to be independent as well as growing their social skills. Therefore, in creating a
curriculum for early childhood students where play is at its foundation, children are able to build
their physical, emotional and social development skills. In so doing, we can also fulfill the most
important belief any teacher should initially have. That is the creating and fostering of an
environment where students feel safe and nurtured.

In conclusion, it is

safe to say that a child's first teacher in a school setting, becomes more than just an instructor.
This person must become the bridge between a child's home life, and the new larger world of
which he/she has become a member. It involves creativity, but also must show restraint where
necessary. It is a balancing act which can be quite challenging, but also extremely rewarding.