Final Philosophy Statement

Hattie Hupke
Waldorf College
Dr. Kristen Paul
April 24, 2015

Teaching and learning are the two things that make this world go
around; they are the two things that continue jobs for everyone. Teaching
and learning, though, doesnt always happen perfectly and not everyone is
successful. We are in a world of diverse cultures and very different
personalities. There is going to be some people who dont get what they
wanted out of education. When I teach, one of my greatest goals is to have
every one of my students be successful. Like there is a lot of people different
in the world, there is a lot of dissimilar ways to teach our world. Every
teacher has their own way of doing things, and although I still have a lot of
learning to do, I am going to try and map out my philosophy of education
and what I believe should happen in the classroom.
I believe the most important aspect to be the teacher-student
relationship. This is the bond of all bonds; the maker or breaker to establish
how your students will do in your classroom. I see this to be different from
younger children and older children. As you get older, you have the
possibility of not even connecting with your teacher in any way and still
getting a great grade in their class. Is this because the class was easy? Not
necessarily. For some students-the more independent students- they may be
able to teach themselves in a sense, and its not as important to personally
know about their teacher. When we are talking about teaching a younger
age, though, it contradicts all of that. Being a teacher of younger children,
you are going to set the stone for what comes next for them. They have only
had school a couple years; they may still be a little scared, I know I was.
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They need to be able to feel comfortable and like they belong in their
classroom. There has to be a respectful, trusting relationship involved that is
based on all sorts of communication. There are many aspects that go into
this relationship with the student. Having a solid relationship with the
student, that is a goal for most teachers and it definitely will be a goal for
me. One aspect of this goal would be understanding, and I exaggerate
understanding to the ethical part of equality. The ethical part of education
was a battle in the beginning regarding race. As a nation, we have come a
long ways from this, but that doesnt necessarily mean in places there isnt
still a hint of this past still showing through. I believe that if you cant control
thoughts that shouldnt be coming in your mind, then you shouldnt teach. A
comment can never ever slip, and I know that I wont let it. There are many
different ways to make all students in your classroom feel welcome. You have
to believe that you care about each and every one of them. Having this
relationship with your students it shows the correct behavior for them.
Gallagher also believes in this as she writes, Aligned with attachment
theory, positive teacher-student relationships enable students to feel safe
and secure in their learning environments and provide scaffolding for
important social and academic skills (Gallagher). They will have an easier
chance of modeling those behaviors as they get older and eventually when
they actually engage in adult interaction, or maybe if they want to become
teachers also.

Learning academically has to start with passion for what you are
teaching. You have to love what youre preaching. Students deserve their
teacher to be standing up in front of the room with a smile and a love for
what theyre doing. For younger kids that cannot be any more important.
Award-winning teacher Richard Leblanc agrees when he says, Good
teaching is as much about passion as it is about reason .... It's about caring
for your craft, having a passion for it, and conveying that passion to
everyone, most importantly to your students (Urban). Students and
teachers have to work together to get to the end of the road, hopefully on
the successful side. The teacher has to bring energy for the students to give
it back. Active learning comes to mind when I speak about this. Active
learning is a very important tool in teaching. Students will obviously learn the
most information if they are awake and energized; if they are ready to do
something. If students are getting involved in learning about things that can
be involved with their life, they will take away a lot more from whats being
taught. Stanford University teachers agree when they say Active learning
increases student investment, motivation, and performance (Stanford
University). Referring back to students and teachers working together, I
begin to think about another part of my teaching that will be really important
to me. I will love each of my kids like my own. I am their mentor; their future.
One of my goals as a teacher is to make a difference, little or big or in
between, in every one of my kids lives. This is why I really believe individual
time is a very essential part of the classroom. This will hold personal
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conversations, learning about one another, and being able to really see
whats going on with each of my students, academically and just personally.
Academically, Teacher Services believes one-on-one is very effective also
as they write, The student benefits immensely from the personal attention
inherent in a one-on-one teaching ratio. Because of the intimate
environment, the teacher can accurately monitor how well the child is
mastering the lessons, and can adapt the pace and targeting of skills
accordingly. (One-on-one teaching). All children have the capability of
learning. ALL children, whatever race, gender, backgrounds, ethnicity they
all have that capability. This diversity in a classroom wont be a problem if I
follow my ways of getting to know what helps each student learn the best
and giving them that equal chance of success.
Teaching and learning can be learning and teaching; they are and will
always be very communal processes. Every day a teacher teaches, they can
easily learn something back from their students. They can only improve from
day to day as a teacher. Both student and teacher wanting to learn can
create an amazing relationship, a relationship I hope to have with my
students. I believe, also, it is important to have strong relationships with
fellow co-workers and other teachers. McClure proves this as she writes A
small but growing body of evidence suggests a positive relationship between
teacher collaboration and student achievement (McClure) Teachers will be
spending every week day with each other; communication is going to be key.
I believe you have to make friends; you have to be able to talk to others for
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multiple reasons. As a teacher, there will be times where you will need to
vent. You will want to get something of your chest that is bugging you. When
having a friend in the workplace that can relate is something that can go a
long way. Teachers can work together to find the best solution for a student.
If you need to leave for some reason, you have to have a teacher that will
cover you. Having relationships on the job are essential, but can hurt you if
you dont keep that line where it needs to stay.
A teacher is a role model. Academically, personally, and ethically. Its my
goal to be this person in a childs life that they look up to in all those
different ways. I chose this future and I am going to honor it with the best of
my capabilities. There is honestly pages and pages of other important
aspects in teaching that could contribute to my personal philosophy. I think
any teacher can agree with that. Its best to pick out the most important
ones anyway; the ones you really want to focus on. Communication, an open
mind, a big heart, and desire for what I do is what will make me as a teacher.
There will be challenges, but thats a given in life anyway, right? I have
grown as a person and I will continue to grow through the successes and the
mistakes. Its my vow to give my most profound education I can give to
every student that walks through my door.

Works Cited
Gallagher, Emily. "The Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships: Social and
Academic Outcomes of Low-Income Middle and High School Students Applied Psychology OPUS - NYU Steinhardt." Department of Applied
Psychology. NYU Steinhardt, 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
McClure, Carla T. "The Benefits of Teacher Collaboration." District
Administration. Professional Media Group, 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
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"One-on-One Teaching." Teaching Services. Angus Lloyd Associates Inc.,

2004. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"Promoting Active Learning." Stanford Teaching Commons. Stanford
University, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Urban, Hal. "Lesson #1: Good Teachers Share One Special Quality." Catholic
Education Resource Center, 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.