Jacquelyn Burdo

EDF 310
Terry Stockton
10/23/16
As a teacher I want to be always learning new technics to improve my classroom and my
students learning that is why I called myself a discoverer because I will not stop discovering new
ideas. My students will be the explorers I will be guiding because I want to make sure they are
on the right path to help them understand but I want them to be the ones figuring out new ideas
by themselves. Listed below are many of my philosophies that go along with my red thread.
The purpose of education is for the students to have all the resources and facts they need to
excel in life. Education is an important aspect of getting a good job and having the knowledge to
being on your own. It is also about forming connections with people, creating friendships, and
learning how to work together by social interaction. In many aspects of life and in the workforce
students will have to work with other people and contribute ideas to solve problems. Besides
working together students also learn to work by themselves and figure out who they are as an
individual.
The role of the teacher in education is the leader because this is where the students are
learning all the information first hand. The teacher is responsible for having all the correct
information and make sure the students learn the material. Some students might have a harder
time learning different topics so its on the teacher to make sure the student have all the resources
and help they need to learn the concepts.
For a teacher to be a leader they have to have control over their classroom and respect from
their students. At the beginning of the year it is important to as a class come up with 5 to 8 rules
that are age appropriate, enforceable, and are easy to understand. There also needs to be a reward
and consequence list created at the beginning of the year. This is important so the students know
what they are working for and what will happen if they act out in class. To limit behavior issues
it is important to set a routine from day one so the students know the schedule and what is
expected from them. I think it is important to have your students feel comfortable to come talk to
you about issues but you also need some discipline so they know they cant walk all over you.
There needs to be an equal balance between the two.
The role of the student in education is that they are their own learners. They will only learn as
much as they want to because if they focus on their studies and do some outside learning they
will become a better student. If they dont focus on the concepts, then they will not learn as much
as they can. The teacher can only teach and push the students so much it is up to the student to
get a grasp on the information. As the saying goes you can lead a horse to the water but you
cannot make them drink.
My dream classroom would have learning through play and exploration. Being active learner
helps students with their understanding of concepts. It has been known that young students learn
best when are exposed to play and have time to take a break from sitting down for so long during

the day. I want to have the full attention of students when I teach them so with those breaks they
will be able to focus on the teachable moments. Jobs even give adults breaks throughout the day
so why are we taking away young children breaks. 1
To go along with the active learning, I want to prompt my students to go further in their thinking
and the answers they give me. To get them to go further, they will have to answer questions such
as why do you feel that way or what makes you say that. Once the students get used to me
asking these questions it will become habit and they will answer I believe this because instead of
me having to prompt them to add on to the thinking. 2
Students come from different cultural, religious, social, economic, and family environments that
shape who they are and it is important for them to understand everyone is different. Once they
understand no one is the exact same and we need to understand all the different backgrounds of
the peer students, then they will be able to relate to each other. I as the teacher will be open to all
diverse personalities and show them respect, once they see I respect them than they will be open
to me teaching them instead of me trying to force the information on them.3
I will bring the world awareness into my classroom by making sure they know what is going on
around the world. Having the students do weekly world articles will help them understand there
are cultures outside of the American culture. Also using trade books to help expose students will
help bring literacy into the classroom as while as world awareness. Sometimes have a speaker
come in a talk about past or present events going on around the world will help the student get a
different perspective. 4
All children learn differently. To help every student learn you have to have different ways of
teaching the material, such as videos and activities. Some students only learn by listening and
others are hands on learners. Teachers have to be flexible and be able to help all the students
learn. Since every student is different, I will make a different curriculum and assessments to help
the students reach the end goal of understanding the concepts. They all will learn the same
material but it might take a student longer to understand so they might need more practice
problems. As a teacher I want students to understand that they have my trust until they break it.

1 Ohanian, S. (2002). What Happened to Recess and Why Are Our Children Struggling in
Kindergarten. New York, New York. McGraw Hill.
2 Blythe, T. (1998). The Teaching for Understanding Guide. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.
3 Taylor, D. (1993). From the Childs Point of View. Portsmouth, NH. Denny Taylor.
4 Bissex, G. L., (1980). GNTS AT WRK. The President and Fellows of Harvard College.