Philosophy

I believe a teacher's role is not only to care for a child but to nurture them in a safe

environment. By providing age appropriate materials and planning meaningful activities, the

teacher sets the foundation for learning. Throughout the curriculum, a teacher should be

facilitating not just completely giving direct orders and expecting perfection. As a teacher, we

must remember that play in a safe environment allows children to explore and gain new

experiences. Children are growing and have Teachers roles in every child's lifecmukf is to be an

active observer and advocate for children whether it be to identify academic progress, social

problems, or even signs of abuse. I hope to teach children of toddler or preschool age self worth

and meaning skills that they can use further on into their future.

All children deserve to have a safe school environment where their basic needs are met

and up to standard. Once the educator accomplish this, providing accessible and age appropriate

materials give children the opportunity to learn. When practicing the theory of Jean Piaget, the

constructivist perspective, through the use of group activities. Children that are exposed to the

sharing of space, ideas, and materials, have the opportunity to gain knowledge from their peers.

They begin to understand themselves as an individual as learn new information from their peers

during activities such as sharing about families or interest. I believe that introducing books and

reading can help introduce themes about friendship, family, behavior, and different parts of the

world supports the gain in social, cognitive, and language skills. In order to assess whether

children are engaged and actually learning, I would create a checklist and write observation

notes so I can identify whether my teaching approach is effective. I will also plan to have

interviews with the parents of the children to communicate the status of the child and to learn
more about the individual backgrounds of each child. By using these methods for assessment, I

can decide whether the activities are useful or if I need to make changes.

As an advocate for all children, meeting the needs of diverse learners is a high priority. A

child with special needs would be welcomed into my classroom by spacious environment, and I

would inform myself on their backgrounds by inquiring with their families. I would also ensure

inclusion for those special needs children during class activities. In the case of culturally diverse

children, I will be sensitive and if needed I would try to integrate their native language at the best

of my ability. As a bilingual Enlish and Spanish speaking teacher I could definitely use my

knowledge to translate to children more comfortable with spanish. Using both languages with

children can teach all children more English and Spanish vocabulary. I will make sure to be

available to all children by doing many group activities and if possible by having assistance from

an instructional aide. My main goal is to make children feel proud of themselves while also

respecting their differences.

I plan to teach curriculum with the use of thematics. The thematic approach is when a

chosen theme is the base of learning through a variety of subjects focusing on the theme topic.

For example, at the beginning of the school year the theme I’d choose would be “All about me,”

to focus on the children being able to share who they are. The theme could be taught in art by

having the children draw a self portrait, or the children could practice writing by tracing their

names, and as a class we could make a chart, which relates to math, of how many boys and girls

are in the class. Since the thematic approach is more of a short term form of teaching, I believe it
is fit for children aged 3 to 5 years so that they can have a variety of themes to keep them

engaged and excited to learn.

In order to try to prevent any behavioral issues I plan to clearly state the basic rules of

keeping your hands to yourself, no running, listen when the teacher or others are talking, and to

use your words.To enforce the rules I will remind the children of them at the beginning of each

day before free play or outside play. It is important to also make the children aware that if the

display constant misbehavior that there are consequences such as warnings, having to relax at an

independent area, talk with the director, or a talk with parents. Letting a child occasionally get

some space away from the group can be beneficial for them to reflect and calm down and return

to the group when they are ready. I strongly believe that to get respect you must give it so I pride

myself in modeling appropriate behavior.

Communication with parents and guardians is essential in getting to know each child.

Every child comes from a different situation and it is important that as a teacher I am aware of

any issues that may affect the child. I will keep children's families updated about their child's

progress whether it is good or if there are concerns. I plan on inviting parents to join the class

during any events of to at least find time to discuss their child every so often. To maintain an

open line of communication I also plan on sending out a monthly overview of the class agenda

with my contact information that parents can easily contact me. I believe communication with

families is important because they are trusting me with their precious children and my goal is to

teach and care for them.

 I want to teach young children because I want to be a part of their growth into their own

people with their own great ideas. At this young age children are innocent and the only deserve

the best, which is to be treated with respect. I want to be the one to create that safe environment

where children can learn and develop skills that will be carried on as they move up to

kindergarten.