Teaching Philosophy

Teaching Philosophy

I take a completely humanistic view when it comes to educating children. I believe that Maslow was correct in his belief that people genuinely strive to reach the highest level of their capabilities. I also believe that everyone can reach his/her "self-actualization" if their lower hierarchy of needs are met first. I want to focus on three things: Maslow's levels, how they affect children and educators, and what I feel is the best tool we can give our students before they head out into the world of independence.

The first level of Maslow's pyramid is basic physiological needs. I know that not every child will walk into my classroom having these needs fulfilled, and for me to expect them to gain much if anything from a lesson would be foolish. I am also very aware of the fact that I, myself, have never been truly hungry. I have never gone a day without food. It is very hard to understand the hunger someone else feels when you have never experienced that all consuming thought of food firsthand. These are needs that are often believed to be the parent's responsibility and maybe they are, but I am going to try my best to be a compassionate enough person to not waste my time judging my student's parents and simply help that child fulfill his/her basic needs.

The second level is the need to feel safe. This is something I truly feel I can control. A student may not feel safe at home, in his/her neighborhood, in the hallways of the school, or even on the playground, but I will do everything in my power to instill a sense of community in my classroom so that my students understand that we have to work together to make our classroom a safe haven. This isn't just for the children's sake either. I...

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...r own. In essence, we help put the individuality in small individuals.

Lastly, the greatest tool we can give to our children and students is the ability to be a good decision maker. The ability to make good decisions does not happen overnight. Children have to be given choices. Starting with deciding between one piece of candy and another, and then working up from there. Some people may seem to have been born with this unique gift, but in truth, people have to be taught to weigh the pros and cons of a situation before taking action. They have to practice this process routinely. Controlling one's impulsive-decision behavior and patiently working a problem through to a sound conclusion takes years of conditioning one's minds. We, as teachers and parents, have thirteen years of school to aid children in learning this important lesson. I say, "Let's get to work".