Educational Philosophy

I believe that each child is a unique individual with varying gifts and talents and should be treated as such in my classroom. Each child that comes to me arrives with a different set of experiences, background knowledge and life situations that will influence her educational experience. I believe in providing an educational experience in which each child is able to express his individual knowledge, strengths and creativity in a supportive, positive, encouraging environment.

I make it clear to students what is expected of them behaviorally and academically in order to succeed in my classroom. I set very high expectations for my students because I know they are capable of achieving them. The higher I set my standards, the harder the students will try to meet them, and the closer they will get to reaching their full academic potential. I also realize that students have expectations of me and I take seriously my professional responsibilities to provide the best possible learning environment and opportunities for my students.

Both effective planning and the integration of technology across all subject areas are essential to an effective learning environment. I believe in giving students creative choices within the assignments they are to complete in order to provide motivation, validate their interests and ensure that students take ownership of their own learning.

Professionally and ethically, I as a teacher am responsible for making sure that each child is learning in a supportive environment with a well-planned curriculum and routine. This should also provide accomodations and invidualized instruction for those who have particular learning needs. I also firmly believe that students are gifted in many ways, with different intelligences as Howard Gardner would argue, and these ways are not always the ones expected of them on standardized tests. Therefore, I strive to provide opportunities for students to learn in a variety of modalities that will allow them to shine in their multiple intelligences. The integration of technology in the curriculum provides innumerable opportunities to meet the needs of learners with unique intelligences and learning styles. Students should feel successful, especially at such a young age, and be given a chance to show their talents and what they're good at.

Finally, I believe that collaboration with colleagues is one of the most powerful tools I can use as a teacher to refine my instructional practices and become better at what I do. I believe that there is always room for improvement in any lesson and I continuously seek to improve on my successes. I want to always make sure I am providing the best educational opportunities for each unique individual who walks through my classroom door.

Educational Technology Philosophy

I believe that technology should be integrated in the curriculum across all subject areas and I make every effort to do so in my classroom. Technology is not only a powerful tool that can make content more accessible to students of various learning styles, but it is an absolutely essential part of preparing our students to be successful, valuable, contributing members of a global society. Technology is the way forward and I as a teacher must show my students the way.

As research has shown that children in lower socioeconomic areas have fewer opportunities to have meaningful access to technology, I am committed to bridging the "digital divide" and my goal is to provide the same rich and varied technologial opportunities for my students regardless of their geographic location, socioeconomic status, or the educational background of their parents.

In addition, as research has also shown a bias against females in the field of technology, I believe in providing technology opportunities for my students of both genders that will develop in them the confidence and self-efficacy with computers that they will need to carry them throughout their educational careers and beyond. In my classroom, students are given a variety of experiences with technology through projects with freedom and flexibility across curricular areas, away from just games into cooperative creative projects where students have input into the outcome of their learning.

Technology is also a powerful tool for providing visual support to English language learners. "A picture is worth a thousand words" and even more so in a classroom where language differences can create barriers to learning. In my classroom there will always be an abundance of visual images to support those who lack the verbal capabilities to comprehend or express themselves through language abilities alone.