Philosophy Statement

Rachel E. Griffith Changing the lives of children and the way they learn and feel about their education is my number one goal in teaching. I want my students leaving to know more than they already knew, have a positive outlook on education, and have matured more in their thoughts and actions as a child inside and outside of the school. I love technology and a positive learning environment that engages all learners. There is not a magic recipe on how to teach; instead it is taking many strategies and learning styles mixing them together to create a lesson that can reach the students in that particular classroom.

Purpose of Education

Teaching is more than just a job; it is a complete way of life. It is taking your strengths and passions and providing them to children to help them grow. Just like there are many ways children learn, and different methods to teach, there are many bits and pieces that go together to teach children. Teaching is about building on the students backgrounds and teaching beyond the four walls of the classroom in order to develop a life-long learner. Its not only about teaching children the things they need to know to pass the standardized tests, but its about developing a child into a responsible, independent human being that can conquer any task you put in front of them. It takes good communication and professionalism, days and days of planning, effective classroom management, engaged learners, and community involvement in order to effectively provide education.
Role of Students

In my classroom students must be responsible for their actions, use polite manners, and take ownership of their education. I have a passion to make my students successful in school and

life, but I strive for them to be engaged and help me further their education as well. I believe the sole purpose of technology is to keep us as teachers up to date with the students interest; when I incorporate technology into my lessons I have engaged student learners. I accept feedback from my students in my classroom so that I can better adapt my lessons to my students. If they introduce some type of technology or strategy, I will try to incorporate these things into my lessons. For instance, when I start out the introduction of my lesson I ask what they already know about something and what strategies they have used in the past. This helps me know what they are comfortable with, and then I use their ideas and guide them into further learning where they feel comfortable before I introduce something completely new. If the student feels they have contributed to their learning they will be more likely to care about their work. Overall, if my students can help me guide their learning, they will have a sense of ownership for their learning, and in turn will be more engaged.
Role of Teacher Communication

Communication is key when it comes to the development of the child. It is crucial to fully understand the way children learn and why they behave certain ways. Getting to know the child and their families helps me to better understand many ways the child learns to help learner-center my lessons. There are also many parts to communication, for instance there is communication between the child and teacher, teacher and parent, and teacher and principal. The child needs to understand why I expect the things I do, and what is expected of them, the communication to the child is one of the first things that will be established. Then the second important part of communication is to the childs parents and family members. Establishing a good relationship with the family will help in the long run if the child struggles in the class, because they can help me help the child. The final part of communication involves talking with the principal, clarifying

any issues and talking about the concerns with certain children in case something is to come up so I know that everyone is informed and on the same page. There is also more to communication; the professionalism that goes along with it. It is important to keep a line between the teacher and everyones friend. I will be professional and approachable but not the childrens or the parents best friend because this can cause issues that we as teachers need to avoid.
Classroom Management

Classroom management could make or break the classroom in which all the learning is taking place. Teachers who have bad classroom management often have a harder time getting their students to take responsibility for their actions or do their work. Without managing all the classroom interruptions and misbehaviors, teachers have a hard time teaching children the things they need to know to succeed in life. The base of my classroom management starts from positive reinforcement strategies. Instead of pointing out negative behaviors, I focus on positive behaviors like I like how Sally has followed directions and is showing me that she is ready to move on, this motivates the other students to follow directions to receive praise as well. Rewards can gain the interest of students at all levels. I plan to utilize something like color charts or class dojo but these will not be displayed for the class to see, instead just on my desk. I continually research and I am always open to new ideas for classroom management.
Role of Teacher in the Community

It is important for the teacher to be a part of the community. I strive to be a role model for my students. If I spend time participating in activities in the community it shows that I devote my time, and I am committed to helping others. I will also be a part of my school community by giving ideas and accepting ideas from fellow colleagues. Education is ever-changing and there is

always something new around the corner, so it is important to stay involved with the communities inside and outside of my school.
Role of Teacher with English Language Learners

On an everyday basis I am not subjected to very much bilingualism or second language learners and I realize this will put limitations on me, but it will take some learning. As much as I am teaching the kids on an everyday basis, they will be teaching me as well. It will take extra time and commitment, but it is worth it to be able to keep a childs first lan guage and culture, but add on English as well. I think teaching a child his or her L1 first is the most important, they need to be strong in understanding their first language to understand the second. If you completely take out a childs first language you are completely taking away a childs heritage and customs and the way they talk to their ancestors. How would you feel if you had a grandchild that you could not communicate with because their teacher had ripped out their first language and gave them a new one? It is very important to add in the English, but developing their first language is such a crucial part. I fully believe in additive bilingual education because it has been proven that children who are highly proficient in two languages show high cognitive levels of development and have greater academic achievement than those in subtractive bilingual programs (Lessow-Hurley, 2009). When talking to others and explaining this additive program, I explain how it develops fluency in their first language and just adds in a second language, in this case English. As an ESL teacher in the general classroom I will strive to fulfill these requirements for all of my students.