"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove . . . . but the world maybe different because I was important in the life of a child." - Kathy Davis

 

            My philosophy of education has been developing since I began my education at Illinois State University.  There are two specific virtues that I feel have helped shape my philosophy of education. As a freshman in college, there were two virtues that I took a particular interest in.  Now that my student teaching experience has come to an end, these virtues still remain close to me as I begin the next chapter of my life.

              As an educator I believe that to be successful, I need to be sensitive to the individual students and their culture. In my student teaching experience, I had a class that came from similar cultural backgrounds.  In my second grade class, I taught a unit called Celebration.  This unit focused on celebrating the differences between cultures. My class may not have been too diverse, so it was important for me to teach my students properly about these cultures so that they would not develop any stereotypes about these cultures. This unit gave my students the chance to appreciate the diversity out in the world as well as appreciate the diversity that they might meet in their classroom. 

              Another important virtue is the virtue of understanding what affects learning and appropriate teaching strategies.  This virtue can be very challenging to a teacher.  Each classroom that I will ever have will have a variety of learners.  As I began my education at Illinois State University, I was often told about the importance of having acitivites that had the students actively engaged. At the time, I told myself that I will only plan hands on activities.  As I began my student teaching experience I learned that this can not always be the case.  Even those these hands on activities are fun, they are not always appropriate.  In my classroom, I had a group of students that could not always handle the “fun” hands on activities.  If I only planned activities that consisted of my students doing projects, the management of my class would be out of control.  I needed to plan activities that would allow my students to learn to appreciate and enjoy the hands on lessons so that they were able to control themselves in these “fun” situations.  I have learned that behavior is a big factor in learning, not just learning styles of students. 

            Both of these virtues are very important in the way teachers teach.  There are many factors that need to be remembered.  By keeping these virtues close to my heart, I know that I can be an effective teacher.