Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Adelaide Hoffman
As an educator, it is my belief that all children and youth have the ability to learn.
Further, it is my belief that students learn through experience, motivation, encouragement, and
most of all, hard work. I believe that students learn most from connecting real life experiences
with the classroom. I think it is also imperative to teach students how their existence can be used
to make the world a better place. I identify with two major philosophies in education; social
reconstructivism and progressivism. These two philosophies hold that students can and should be
taught to alleviate injustice in through their education and that students should be taught
information that pertains to real-life situations. In order to ensure that my students are being
taught to each of these philosophies, I intend to ask my self two questions; how can I apply this
to the real world? and how can I incorporate the appreciation of diversity into this lesson? I fully
intend for all of my lessons to be applicable to real world situations and to teach my student to
embrace the differences of one another. Coupling these beliefs with educational standards allows
students to learn the pertinent material and concepts, but also allows them to apply these
It is my goal to make my students thirst for knowledge, to teach them that their education
is gift that is not to be taken lightly. Further, it is my goal to make students believe that they can
achieve and exceed the goals they set for themselves. Each and every student deserves to be
immersed in a positive learning environment that can accommodate all types of learners whether
they be visual, kinesthetic, auditory, or a little bit of all three. Learning environments should be
welcoming and able to foster very intentional growth. Educators must inspire students to be
enormous and rich world around them. It is my hope that they will come to the understanding
that differences are not bad, but beautiful. I will uphold ideals of respect, appreciation of
education, and confidence. I want my students to know that with drive, determination, and a
passion for learning, they can make anything happen for themselves. A key tenet of this goal is
professional relationship with all students. In order to maintain the professional nature of a
teacher-student relationship, boundaries and limits must be set. However, it is also of great
importance to have a healthy relationship with each student. I intend to make it clear that I
genuinely care for my students and that I am always available to help them in any way that I can.
The teacher-student relationship will be one of mutual respect. This relationship will serve a
positive role in the classroom. Students respond well a teacher that they respect and enjoy
interacting with. Reminding students of what it means to respect one another will likely be
necessary, but building that relationship will be beneficial to the classroom dynamic and
Assessment is also a key tenet to measure both student and teacher growth. However, I
think there is a crucial fault in assessment, it often separates those who are successful and those
who are not successful. Assessments should motivate students to improve their scores instead of
continuously discouraging them. In order to create a classroom in which assessments are helpful
assessments. While some courses may require state or district mandated assessments, I plan for
my own assessments to be created collaboratively with students. I will ask them how they feel
they can demonstrate what they have learned and will take these suggestions and turn it into an
As a teacher, I will strive to be a warm demander. I will not lower standards for my
students for any reason. I will hold them to high standards in order to get them to recognize their
own capabilities. It is my hope that I will inspire my students to see that their reality is not their
destiny and that with a strong sense of self and motivation they can work to successfully achieve
their goals. I will uphold ideals of respect and humility within my classroom. My students will
respect their peers, their teachers, and themselves. My classroom will learn to celebrate diversity.