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Educational Philosophy

My goal as a teacher is to make the classroom my students favorite place to be. I strive to
instill, within them, a voracious desire to learn. Additionally, I want to help my students realize
their dreams, while providing them with the tools necessary to achieve them.
At first, my sole intention was to become an English Language Arts teacher. My initial
reasoning for this was based on my desire to actually make a job out of doing my two favorite
thingsreading, and talking about what I am reading. Upon closer look, I excitedly realized the
many other important skills an English teacher has the privilege and responsibility to impart. The
skills an English teacher teaches are many of those necessary to becoming a successful, welladjusted member of society. Such skills include knowing how to engage in discussions, write an
appropriately structured essay, and garner the most important points from a text. It is the job of
English teachers to impart many of the abilities necessary to the attainment, and maintenance, of
a job. I strive to make the cultivation of these skills an enjoyable experience.
My desire to pursue an Education Specialist credential came when I was teaching in The
Republic of Georgia. The public school system continues to reel from the fall of the Soviet
Unionblackboards and tabletops crumble, and there is no system in place for the education of
those with special needs. Students with disabilities are put in the corner, and labeled as stupid.
My lack of skills to educate such students made me feel helpless. In order to get hands-on
experience with students with special needs, I volunteered with AmeriCorps as a literacy
specialist at a public elementary school in Washington State, and I was a 1:1 aide, with the Ross
Valley School District, for an 11 year old boy with Fragile X Syndrome and Autism. These
experiences taught me that the ability to be understanding, patient, and accepting, is the most
valuable quality an educator can have.
Currently, I am completing my student teaching at San Marin High School in Novato; I
am teaching a Special Day English Class, as well as a College Preparatory 9th Grade English
Class. The Common Core Standards frames my instruction in both fields. The teaching skills I
have obtained in earning my Education Specialist credential have proven to be instrumental in
both settings. To make subject matter comprehensible, I break material down into its component
parts, appeal to all types of learners, and lend a fun and social aspect to my lessons. Graphic
organizers and structured notes are my best friend, and I utilize them in every lesson, alongside a

Google Slides presentation. Activities such as Think-Pair-Shares and small group work provide
students with the social outlet that they need, and enable them to employ what they are learning.
A huge goal of mine is to provide my students with an understanding of 21st century
technological skills, as stressed by the Common Core Standards. In my Special Day English
Class, as part of my Dangers of Stereotypes unit, which centers around Sherman Alexies novel
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, students worked in partners to research
specific Native American Tribes; this was a means to highlight, and dispel, the common
stereotypes of Native Americans. My 9th Grade College Preparatory class performed a group
project regarding various human rights, in which they collaborated in using the internet to
research a specific example of a human rights violation, and to use Google Slides to create a
presentation suitable to teaching the rest of the class about their topic. Proper education of 21st
century skills is paramount as they are necessary for young peoples navigation of, and future
success in, our world.
I have loved every moment I have spent in the classroom, thus far. I have even loved the
difficult ones, as they have taught me invaluable lessons that will forever benefit me. Fostering
complete engagement, incorporating technology, and differentiating, are challenging frontiers I
am excited to continue my exploration of.