Melissa Rosanio

Liaupsin

SERP 403

14 April 2016

Teaching Philosophy

From a young age I knew that I felt most fulfilled when I was helping individuals

with disabilities. The passion I felt quickly developed into my dream of becoming a

Special Education teacher. For the past eight years I have been fortunate enough to know

exactly what I want to do as my career and that has never wavered. Throughout high

school, I tried to seize any opportunity to work with the special needs community that I

could possibly take on. After meeting with individuals who had Down syndrome I

quickly discovered that I had the ability to connect with them seamlessly. For two years I

took a course appropriately titled Education Professions. I was fortunate enough to be

taught by an instructor whom I feel is the epitome of what a teacher should be. She was

passionate, dedicated, and encouraging of all students even those who had no interest in

becoming educators. That course gave me the opportunity to meet with students from

across the U.S. who were just like me, we came together and shared our inspirations and

our passion for teaching. As a Senior I became an occupational assistant and worked with

students in one-on-one settings. I had the pleasure of working with a student who was

diagnosed with autism, as having an emotional behavioral disorder, and specific learning

disabilities. When I began seeing her progress I knew that I would continue to do that

work and try to help shape the lives of individuals similar to her. After high school I went

directly to college and began planning for my future as a teacher.

 Throughout the duration of the Mild-Moderate special education program I have

been fortunate to be taught by some of the greatest professors I will ever meet. They have

taught me the various teaching philosophies and teaching methods that I have chosen to

adopt for my future. It is my belief that teachers should be open to various methods of

teaching and should continue to develop their ideal teaching philosophy. Personally, I

believe in being progressive and proactive. I support reform when necessary and positive

activism in communities. Striving to find new techniques to help children facing great

obstacles and being open to learning from those who have more experience than myself is

necessary for my success.

For years I have been a supporter of inclusion environments but have recently

discovered that I teach best in a self-contained environment. Working one-on-one with a

student is my specialty. The types of students I have worked with on individual levels

have been diagnosed with specific learning disabilities, emotional behavioral disorders,

intellectual disabilities, and some have had a combination of disorders that have

complicated their education. Working with those students has taught me to be adaptive

and to be willing to do the necessary research to find out what works best for each of

them. In my classroom it will be imperative that ever student feels included with their

peers and like they are being treated equally. They will all receive the education they are

entitled to and it will be tailored to their specific needs. Throughout my practicum

shadowing experience I have learned, that despite working in a self-contained

environment, I can fully support the inclusion of students.

As a future teacher I share a goal with parents that all children will be able to

learn and perform to the best of their ability. It is my dream to be the teacher who
encourages their students on a daily basis to keep moving forward and developing as

individuals. I want to be a source of reassurance to parents that their children are getting

all of the support they deserve. A goal of mine is to provide my students with as many

services as needed to further their progress. My hope is that the students I educate will be

seen as successful students within their public high school, not as successful students

for those within the special education community.