Compassion, respect, and tolerance are important human values that create an open, caring environment. I want a feeling of kindness and understanding to be felt in my classroom. These values should be introduced and taught in a meaningful way in order to raise awareness of those around them. Being a teacher means it is important for me to aware of the diverse backgrounds of students and understand various ethnic and cultural groups. I can communicate respect for diverse groups through strategies such as these:
-Treat all children as full-fledged members of the classroom and community
-Call children by their given names, unless asked otherwise
-Consistently look at historical and current events from diverse cultural perspectives
-Create situations in which students from diverse backgrounds must collaborate to achieve success-for instance, through cooperative group activities
Children think a lot about who they themselves are, but they also try to figure out who others are. Therefore, it is important to encourage children to look at situations from other people's perspectives and actively work to break down stereotypes and prejudice.
My name is Michelle Ward, I am Junior at the University of South Alabama. I am working on my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. I love learning and I think that you should learn something new everyday. As much as I love being a student, I love being a teacher even more. Teaching gives me a daily opportunity to learn and laugh with children. I believe that the aim of education is to enable a continued capacity for growth. By awakening a natural curiosity found in young minds to help them discover new things, including finding out that learning is fun.
My Teaching Philosophy
