#2

It is my belief that every child deserves a fair chance to learn and it is up to me as a teacher to cultivate that and maximize the child's potential. It is important to spend one-on-one time with each child so we can individualize their learning (to an extent.) Granted it is hard with class sizes continually growing, but even if the time is limited, five minutes can make a difference. I believe that children who know that I care about them will want to learn more and do better. They will feel a greater responsibility to me but also to themselves. They will want to succeed to feel accomplished within themselves.

I believe that teaching needs to occur in several methods, since children learn in such varied ways. As a teacher it is my duty to appeal to the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners all at once, whenever possible. I need to make my lessons as engaging and interactive as possible in order to hold students' attention and make them excited about learning. I hope to create assessments that measure students' understanding of a subject rather than whether or not they can spit out facts.

I believe that it is important to create in an inclusive classroom, one that does not discriminate based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. Students will learn better and have a greater chance to maximize their potential if they feel safe and comfortable in their classroom environment. I believe it is important to teach children acceptance of differences and the importance of respect. On the first day of every school year, I will use input from the class, along with my own, to create a set of rules that everyone will hold each other accountable for following. This will create an environment where children will know that they can have fun and will feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas with the class, but will also encourage order and a drive to succeed.