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Teaching Philosophy

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13 views4 pages

Teaching Philosophy

project for class

Uploaded by

claflamme032696
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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paragraph 1: teaching at the church

paragraph 2: teaching to change lives especially for under-represented


paragraph 3: teaching elementary school specifically 2nd or 3rd for willingness to learn
paragraph 4: teaching through inclusion and adaptation
paragraph 5: teaching inclusivity and kindness
Conor LaFlamme

Doctor Tiffany Flowers

EDUC 2110

11/13/2020

My Teaching Philosophy

My personal experience with teaching began six years ago when I started as a certified

layperson for the Archdioceses of Atlanta. I started with the pre-K program at the church but I

soon found that childcare alone was not the correct path for me and I found myself envious of the

freedom of the educators in the church. over the next few years I bounced around the religious

education department teaching almost every grade, from first graders all the way up to the high

school sophomores in the youth group programs. In my last year of teaching at the church before

I started college I found my niche in fifth grade, the group of students I had changed my life and

gave me the encouragement I needed to go back to school and become an educator. The

experience in that class laid the groundwork for my entire teaching philosophy, to make sure all

of my students feel seen and know they are loved no matter what their home life is like.

My drive to teach is entirely rooted in my desire to give my students the experience I

lacked in elementary school. In many ways I am far from the societal norm and that was never

more apparent than in elementary school. As the one of the only neuro-divergent queer children

at my school I didn’t receive the attention I needed academically or socially and suffered because

of it. Worsened by my misdiagnosis during the ADHD pharmaceutical debacle of the early

2000’s I was sequestered into special education classes and further separated from my peers. I
hope in my career as an educator I am able to stand for and represent the “weird kids” and show

them that they matter and can change the world.

My degree is going to be utilized to its full potential as I plan on getting a job at a low

income elementary school right after graduation. Due to my experience teaching K-5

respectively I will take any position offered to me at my school of choice but my goal is to teach

between second and fifth grade. I would be lying if I didn’t admit this preference is a bit selfish

as I want to teach the “older” children so I have less “babysitting” to do but second to fifth grade

is also the most formative years of a child’s academic career where I can have the largest impact.

In my past experience that age group is the most willing to learn and in most cases are still very

committed and excited about their own education and learning new material. This commitment

to their own education generally makes it easier to impact each student in the short time I am in

their lives.

My teaching style is often criticized by other educators as too lax or even permissive but I

feel that could not be farther from the truth. I run my classrooms in a way that allows my

students to live full human lives full of both joy and sorrow while maintaining expectations. My

students respect me as not only their teacher but as their mentor and fellow human that also has

bad days. My approach to the curriculum follows the same suit in that each student’s needs will

be addressed independently and continuously throughout the year to make sure that each child is

meeting my own personal requirements for the amount of attention they have received. All of

that being said I am not ignorant to the fact that I will not be able to have the impact that I wish

to have on my students on every child that comes through my class but I believe as long as I try

my hardest to help that child learn to love at least one aspect of education I can plant the seed for

a bright future.
A focal point of my classroom will be inclusivity and at this point in my education I have

many daily, weekly, or yearly activities planned to help my class attain a cohesive “family” unit.

team building and group activities will be at the forefront of my lesson plans as well as healthy

and constructive competition. My classroom will also be forward thinking in regards to mental

health awareness and my students will have a myriad of tools, such as stimming toys and

alternative seating methods to utilize to make sure all of them get the most out of the school year.

Kindness, is one of the most important human traits and if I accomplish nothing in a school year

my students will hopefully leave my classroom a little more kind than they started and with more

knowledge of those who differ from them.

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