reflections

Jaime

Lauran

melissa

natalie

Diana

Kristen Storbrauck 215-526-8426 kstorbrauck@holyfamily.edu Diana Bauer 1-609-923-6002 dbauer4884@gmail.com Daniela Siravo 215-913-5138 danni227@verizon.net Shannon Sullivan 215-680-6218 ssullivan@holyfamily.edu

Shannon Sullivan November 30, 2010 Intro to Diverse Cultures Dr. Williams Philosophy of Teaching “The soul of teaching, is teaching of the soul”-Pius XI As I was observing a classroom one day I noticed this quote written on the side of the school building and it really had an effect on me. It summed up exactly how I feel about teaching. I personally believe that Mathematics, Science, and subjects of that nature are nowhere as important as impacting a student’s life. I finally understand the saying It takes a village to raise a child. Teachers should be seen as one of the biggest inspiration leaders in a child’s life. Teaching a student can be such a gift. I would be truly blessed to know a child learned something from me. Each child is unique in their own way. Therefore understanding them and working with them can be quite a challenge. A challenge any person who is destined to teach is willing to take on. The reason we teach besides giving students a well rounded education is to shape children into civilized human beings. Children all have different home lives and most of the time we can’t control what goes on in their home. However, as a teacher we can provide them with certain things they may not be taught or exposed at home. Children can start a clean slate at school. They are given opportunities unfortunately only school can provide them. School is supposed to be a home away from home. Sadly school can be the better of the two homes. A teacher takes on the parent role at school and is left picking up the pieces from their home life. For example, say a teacher sees a problem with a child who is being disruptive to the rest of the class. I feel sometimes teachers are too concerned with the distraction of the students and now with the problem at hand. The child obviously has some sort of issue going on, most likely a problem at home. A teacher needs to be concerned for each and every student. I personally believe being capable of teaching and wanting to teach are two very different things. I’m sure I’m capable of a lot of things but teaching is something I know I want to do. I believe the job of a teacher is never complete, like a doctor who practices medicine. They don’t have it down to a science; they just practice it as do we with education and children. This class alone has given me more insight to my own personal philosophy of teaching. One person who has had probably the biggest influence on me becoming a teacher was a professor I had at my last college, Manor College. I was all curious about teaching my entire life about teaching but it didn’t click until I had this teacher. His name was Gary Crim and he was a teacher in the education department. I was originally a Psychology major but after taking one of his classes, I decided to do a dual major with Early Childhood Education. Honestly, at first I don’t know if I just did it to continue taking his classes. He has been in the education system for over 30 years yet he seems like he loves teaching as if it were his first day. He taught like he truly loved it and wanted us as education majors to know the true meaning of educating a child or anybody for that matter. He genuinely is a heartwarming teacher. One of my favorite exercises he taught us was Classroom Scenarios. Each class he would give us 2-3 scenarios dealing with different problems or interactions that can take place in the classroom. We would have to write down our own way of dealing with each problem. It was a great way to think on our feet, figure out what kind of teachers we were, and how as teachers we can work together to help a child with a dilemma. He also told me that teaching is a two way street. Not only do students learn from you, but you can most certainly learn from them. Not to get off track but he told me his wife was a nurse at the maternity ward at Holy Redeemer and when I had my daughter, Juliet there I could do nothing but praise his name to her. Mr.Crim has had quite an impact on me. He taught me how to reward direction not perfection and he also introduced me to Richard Lavoie. Richard Lavoie mainly works with children with learning disabilities but I think most of his lectures can be used on most students. I found his one lecture “When the Chips are Down” very interesting. He compares children’s self-esteem to poker chips and that children with learning disabilities tend to have less poker chips then other children. He emphasizes how important it is to give children as many poker chips as possible. They should have more poker chips when they go to bed then they did when they woke up in the morning. If a child needs to have chips taken away, make sure you are taking away the right amount. In other words, make sure the punishment fits the crime. This was something Mr.Crim emphasized. If a child fails a math test he shouldn’t be punished with not being allowed to participate in his soccer game. The punishment doesn’t fit the crime, one has nothing to do with the other. This opened me up to a whole other level of teaching. But back to Richard Lavoie, he made me think of one of my best friends in the world, Katie. As a child she was diagnosed with a learning disability and I feel like for most of her life she used it as a crutch. Most teachers just let her slide or didn’t care to dive more in-depth into it. I think if she was given the proper attention and encouragement that she could have done so much more in life. Sadly, she uses it as a crutch to why she can’t do things like go to college or go for a better job. I think it’s all because in school she wasn’t given enough “poker chips”. Situations like this make me want to work that much harder with helping children. I want to finish my paper with a quote I found by Maria Montessori. I wish I could have an eighth of the success she has had. “One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.” In a world so money hungry especially in the education system, I think we tend to forget exactly why we are teaching. It’s for our children, for their education and future. We need to stop being selfish and remember who this is all really meant for. As an inspiring teacher, I’m 100 percent determined to change that for my future students. I’m ready to put my philosophy of teaching into action! -It was a joy to have you as a teacher Dr. Williams and I hope to have the pleasure of having you again!

Diana Bauer My Philosophy on Teaching Intro-to-Diversity

** (Some) Qualities of an effective teacher: ** Patient, prepared, a good example, flexible, inspirational, creative, optimistic, caring, protective, fun, instructional, accepting, encouraging, dedicated, organized, nice, confident, leader, understanding ** What would you want to achieve in terms of helping students learn? ** I would like students to have fun in the classroom, as well as outside the classroom. I’d like to teach topics and examples that everyone could relate to. For example, when learning fractions, I’d like to have a pizza party so the students will be excited to learn fractions, as well as enjoy a treat. It will also help them remember for the future. ** What sets you apart as a teacher? ** I feel like many teachers are working because of money or benefits. I’ve always loved helping people. I get excited when students understand something. This seems like it’s a light bulb effect and I want EVERY student’s light bulb to be turned on when I’m teaching a lesson. ** How would an observer describe your teaching? ** I would hope that they would look at me and really understand why I am teaching the way I do. I know that every child learns differently, so I’d like to use as many methods of teaching possible. For example, when teaching reading, we could read the text, discuss it, and include some kind of art project into it. Then, if understanding the text was difficult for students, they might get the “light bulb effect” when completing their art project. ** What are the specific skills and knowledge that students should gain in the classroom? ** I want them to learn and have fun at the same time. I also want them to know that we’re all “on the same page” in the classroom. By that, I mean, I won’t tolerate bullying or isolation. Even though everyone learns different, they all need to feel equal in my classroom. ** What should happen in the classroom? Why? ** I would like students to work as a team. They’re all in the same class, which means I would not tolerate any bullying or isolation. They need to work together in my classroom. ** What are the teaching methods that you consider most effective? Why? ** I personally like the hands-on approach. When students are learning new material, it is most effective if they have materials other than the book to rely on. Art work, physical objects, or music/movies can play an excessive role in education. If some students don’t understand one method of learning, I’d like to ensure that they still understand the lesson fully.