I fully prescribe to the philosophy, as spearheaded by ASCD, that we must teach the WHOLE child. Knowing one’s students as learners and as unique individuals, and establishing relationships of respect and trust with students, is imperative to ensuring that the academic and life content and skills we teach are transferred to students, internalized, and applied in ways that promote deep understanding and a lifelong love of learning.
I believe children learn best by actively constructing their knowledge, and I believe this is a natural consequence of being interested in and engaged in a particular topic or subject. There are fundamental academic and knowledge-based skills, as set in the CCSS and NGSS, which each student needs to learn to the best of his or her ability. This core skills foundation is laid in the elementary grades and hence is all the more imperative for children to learn and apply in engaging ways. As an elementary teacher and professional, my responsibility to my students is to do all I can to be an expert in the skills areas outlined in the CCSS and NGSS; to find ways to effectively teach this information and facilitate their learning; and work to support all students’ learning and developmental needs, in and outside the classroom.
A classroom is a community, an environment in which students work and play, and this room should emit a safe and positive energy that allows students to inquire, discover, wonder, and grow their academic and social potentials. Students should share ownership of the classroom, helping to form classroom norms and routines, rules, consequences, etc. This empowerment is key to students taking responsibility for their own and others’ actions, keeping students engaged, and forming a community where all students are respected and recognized as individuals with unique character traits and learning styles.
As a teacher, valuing the human element in my students and in my self is essential to cultivating students’ self esteem and perseverance. I think it is an invaluable process to allow students to make mistakes and find solutions – this is another essential component of developing understanding of both academic and social skills. My role as a guide is to set the highest example, to set high expectations for all students and for myself, but to forgive students for their mistakes and to reinforce their strengths to encourage the ability to deal with failure in a positive way. Perhaps the greatest role of a teacher is to continue to cultivate students’ curiosity – and to build on this tool, letting students’ constant questions and insights inform and guide the dual processes of teaching and learning.
I believe children learn best by actively constructing their knowledge, and I believe this is a natural consequence of being interested in and engaged in a particular topic or subject. There are fundamental academic and knowledge-based skills, as set in the CCSS and NGSS, which each student needs to learn to the best of his or her ability. This core skills foundation is laid in the elementary grades and hence is all the more imperative for children to learn and apply in engaging ways. As an elementary teacher and professional, my responsibility to my students is to do all I can to be an expert in the skills areas outlined in the CCSS and NGSS; to find ways to effectively teach this information and facilitate their learning; and work to support all students’ learning and developmental needs, in and outside the classroom.
A classroom is a community, an environment in which students work and play, and this room should emit a safe and positive energy that allows students to inquire, discover, wonder, and grow their academic and social potentials. Students should share ownership of the classroom, helping to form classroom norms and routines, rules, consequences, etc. This empowerment is key to students taking responsibility for their own and others’ actions, keeping students engaged, and forming a community where all students are respected and recognized as individuals with unique character traits and learning styles.
As a teacher, valuing the human element in my students and in my self is essential to cultivating students’ self esteem and perseverance. I think it is an invaluable process to allow students to make mistakes and find solutions – this is another essential component of developing understanding of both academic and social skills. My role as a guide is to set the highest example, to set high expectations for all students and for myself, but to forgive students for their mistakes and to reinforce their strengths to encourage the ability to deal with failure in a positive way. Perhaps the greatest role of a teacher is to continue to cultivate students’ curiosity – and to build on this tool, letting students’ constant questions and insights inform and guide the dual processes of teaching and learning.