Belief Statements
When a teacher connects and bonds with students beyond the academic level, it creates an environment in where both students and teachers mutually respect and understand each other better. I strive to build meaningful relationships with my students. I believe this is the first step in creating a classroom culture where students feel trusted, safe, and cared for. When students feel valued and know their teacher cares about their thoughts, opinions, suggestions, or concerns, they are more willing to be open to participating and learning which will, in turn, create more positive and effective learning experiences. It has been proven that this factor has a much more of a greater impact than other factors in the classroom, therefore, I will make sure to have strong positive bonds with my students in order to show them that they are the reason why I love my job.
I BELIEVE
I believe in the power of building positive student-teacher relationships.
I BELIEVE
I believe in the uniqueness of every learner.
Every student that comes into my classroom will bring in different set of skills and abilities. My students will have diverse backgrounds and prior experiences that will shape their way of thinking and learning. I am aware that I will be working in a classroom with students who may be considered "Gifted and Talented" and also with students who may be considered as "At-Risk" students. I understand each student will learn differently and not on the same day, the same way or at the same pace. I acknowledge that I will have a classroom full of students who will be at different developmental, cognitive, socially and emotionally levels. However, I believe that each and every one of them, no matter in what level they are at, will thrive and learn because I will make sure to differentiate my instruction to fit their individual needs. I will believe in the student who is "failing" just as much as I will believe in the student who is succeeding because all of them are capable of reaching their full potential.
I believe in the importance of setting high expectations.
I BELIEVE
Research has shown that when teachers hold high expectations for students, students will rise up to them and even exceed those expectations. When students know that their teacher genuinely believes in them, they will definitely be more willing and happy to reach their goals. Once students see that they are able to do much more than they realized, they are then able to develop that intrinsic motivation, which will push them to keep learning and discovering their abilities. Just like I have high expectations for myself as a teacher, I will also have high expectations for my students. I will set clear and consistent expectations by having students set their own challenging goals, providing high levels of support, giving positive feedback, asking for higher level thinking and analysis, and by conveying confidence in my students.
I believe in "That Kid".
I BELIEVE
Throughout my field experiences, I have seen "That Kid" in every single classroom. That one student who has challenging behavior and who seems to do everything intentionally to get their teacher and classmates upset. There are important underlying reasons for why a student may be acting out this way. These students are the ones who need the most love and attention from teachers. I believe these students need to be treated fairly and by fairly I do not mean treating and teaching them the same but giving them what they need in order to learn effectively. By having worked with these students, I have been able to adapt and modify my instructional methods, which has helped me in recognizing how important it is to believe in these students. I have worked with a student who was not able to talk at all and only expressed emotions through hitting and screaming. After weeks/months of implementing strategy after strategy with my cooperating teacher, this student was able to express himself in a complete sentence and has stopped throwing objects around the classroom. It is teaching experiences like these that remind me why I love what I do. That is why no matter how challenging "That Kid" is making my day, I will make sure to be "That Teacher" who does not give up and keeps believing in their capabilities.
I BELIEVE
I believe learning is most effective when assessments are meaningful, authentic, and engaging.
I am a strong believer in that if students cannot relate or engage when being taught, they will simply not fully grasp and connect to the content. It is imperative to allow students to discuss and share ideas, questions, and knowledge with their peers so that they are able to also learn from each other. When students teach each other they create meaningful learning experiences, which allows them to take control of their own learning. When tasks are authentic, students' motivation increases because they are actually interested in what they are learning and if assignments relate to students' daily lives, the greater their will to actually participate and learn. Therefore, I will not stay complacent with my instruction so that I am capable of giving my students quality lessons that include differentiated assessments that will allow them to showcase their learning through cooperative learning in various ways because student mastery can be demonstrated in more than just one method.