My philosophy of education comes from what I have learned in my personal life, exceptional child class taken at ASU-Midsouth and from the observed thirty hours of student observation required in my introduction to education class. I believe that all children learn differently and that a teacher should be able to adapt to each child’s learning style. Although it may be difficult at times, every child can learn, and every child is teachable.   

            It is very important that teachers remain professional in their classroom. A way to stay professional is to maintain a nice, clean look with your clothes and styling. Your wardrobe says a lot about the way you want others to view you. If you are in nice clothes such as dress pants or dresses, students will take you more seriously. If you wear jeans and a t-shirt everyday chances are the students will not respect you as much. Not only do you need to be professional in the classroom but also outside the classroom as well. Teachers are having to deal with the upcoming advances of social media that they haven't had to deal with over previous years.  

            Curriculum is something that I feel should be different per school. Yes, the state has certain standards they want each student to master but, it is practically impossible to ask a group of students from thriving communities to learn the exact same standards as students from low income, high poverty schools. Students that are on the opposite end of the spectrum are exposed to different things, and they have different background knowledge. If a teacher asked her students to write about firsthand experiences, it may be difficult for some students to do. Even if the teacher gave ideas some students may not be able to relate to those examples. The problem is that these students haven't experienced as much. Therefore, they did not have much to write about. I feel that when it comes to curriculum, it should be somewhat tweaked to fit the needs of that school. I think the standards should be obtainable but still challenging so that students feel they have accomplished something rather than be pushed grade to grade with no true meaning of what they have learned.

            When it comes to teaching methods, I believe that students learn best when they are working together.  I enjoy watching other teachers when they are doing cooperative learning or project-based teaching. I believe that teachers should promote self-learning. This will help students develop critical thinking skills which are detrimental in this day and age. With recent rises in technology, students are learning to work with people less and less. Cooperative learning teaches children how to work with others to reach a common goal. Project based learning is a way to get students accustomed to real-world problems. It is a fun and engaging way for students to learn the material while also developing critical thinking skills. It is a teachers’ job to prepare students for what lies ahead and getting them to think outside the box and have good relationships with peers is a part of that.

            Classroom management is something that is different in every classroom. Some teachers know what works for them and others are still trying to figure it out. It is extremely important to establish expectations the very first day of school. First, the teacher should explain the rules and procedure for that classroom, so the children know what to do when they walk into the classroom. Then, the first couple weeks these rules and procedures should be practiced over and over again. One thing I’ve learned from my observations is that a broken procedure and rules should have consequences. If you have a student that does not want to follow the procedures, then you simply make that student practice them over and over, even if that means missing out on a fun activity to practice. However, recess should not be taken away from a student. Students need that time to relax, wiggle, and get out extra energy. There are diverse ways to reprimand a student such as not letting them go to the class party or on a field trip. I feel that the most important part to classroom management is to be consistent. It doesn't matter who the student is, they all need the same punishments and rewards. As for rewards, I feel like all students need immediate gratification. When a child is ‘caught being good,’ the student deserves some positive attention. The point is, students need just as much rewards as they do consequences, if not more. You want to reinforce the good behavior and not just focus on what the students are doing wrong.