Alyssa Sloan

Prof. Robert Wolfe

ETEC 424

June 9, 2019

Philosophy of Teaching DRAFT

Throughout my childhood into high school, school was not always the easiest for me. I

always heard that “one day, it will just click as to what you want to do”, but of course I was a

Senior in high school, not knowing where I was going. Never did I imagine that one day I would

want to be a teacher. I was always one to be curious, but learning new material was a struggle for

me. After high school, I pursued a career in make-up and skincare, it was a passion of mine.

Although, I enjoyed doing this, the money was just not there at the time and I still felt an empty

part. After moving away and coming back home to Dallas at 25, it was then that the job of

working in a special education classroom fell into my lap. In the past, I had worked with people

with special needs, but never did I work in an educational setting. Of course, walking into my

new job on the first day, I did not know what to expect. From that day forward, I knew I was

exactly where I was supposed to be. Now, I could not imagine myself doing anything else other

than working with students with special needs.

It is vital that a teacher learn and understand the needs of each individual student, so that

they can better suit the instructional, physical, cognitive, and emotional needs of each student.

There are many diverse learners within our educational system, and it is important for teachers

and educators to learn the beliefs, culture, and behaviors of each student. Although there are

many characteristics to shaping our students, as educators, these are several principles that I find
significant in displaying an effective learning environment. My mission as an educator is to

imprint a love for learning within my students. I am very passionate about teaching my students

in a way that they desire to become lifelong learners. The meaning behind this is that I find what

fuels a student’s drive to want to learn and to become better in their educational career. This is

where the principle of learning and understanding the needs of each individual student, so that I

can find “their way” of learning, whether it is visual, linguistic, kinesthetic, or musical.

Confidence is key in a student’s life, and so it is my job to find a way to teach them, so that they

will be confident in their work and their learning. When a student becomes confident in their

learning, they will flourish into lifelong learners. Our students are our future, so guiding them to

find their place in this world and learning their passions is essential to a successful environment.

As I was once a child myself, and a student of the primary and secondary education

settings, there were several teachers who made me feel welcomed and confident, despite the

struggles I may have faced. Like I stated before, learning was not always easy for me, I struggled

with focusing in class and on the material. There were these several teachers who went the extra

mile for me and helped me become the learner that I am today. By these teachers and the

education and experience that I have received thus far, I have learned how important it is to make

a student feel welcomed and that they matter. Our students rely on us as educators to guide them,

make them feel safe, and most of all let them know that they matter in this world, regardless of

the career path they choose to pursue in life. Setting out time to instruct a student who may need

a little more attention, with one on one instruction is an example of passion for teaching.

Personally, being an Instructional Assistant in the special education classroom, has guided me to

learn how to become a successful teacher. When I encounter a situation of any kind with a

student, I closely observe all actions whether they are learning or behavioral. In doing this, it
allows me to come up with strategies to encourage and help that student succeed or get over that

hump. The number one characteristic to being a teacher is to have the passion for teaching and

the love for learning. Without the passion for teaching, there will not be an effective learning

environment.

In order to become the successful teacher with an effective learning environment, you

must truly focus on each individual student to learn their needs. Understanding their cultural

background, beliefs, behavior, and style of learning is what helps us as educators to provide

proper instruction and classroom management. Teaching is not something easy that most of

society tends to express it as. Teaching comes with a lot of patience, time taken away from

families, early mornings, low pay, and many other things that people would consider “stressful”.

I am thankful that I have been provided with the gift of teaching and patience to help guide and

help better shape our future.