Christopher Daller

Homework Philosophy 2012

Homework can be a very tricky thing when it comes to students and parents. Most of the
time students will do whatever they can do to avoid getting homework. That is how they are
always are. It is the teachers duty to let the kids know their expectations of homework so there is
clear communication between the two sides. This helps build respect between the students and
teacher. Parents on the other hand can be a sore in the side of the teacher if they do not agree
with the homework philosophy. A teacher has every right to implement their homework
philosophy upon the class as long as they can justify it and defend it. My philosophy on
homework is that it is useful to the learning process. It is a key part of connecting to lessons and
the chapter tests. Homework will not be small meaningless bookwork that is used just to pass the
time. If it is not a useful to the material that the students are learning at that time then it is not
something that needs to be assigned as homework. Students have too much on their plate besides
just school. I used to be that student who was involved in sports in sports as well as other
extracurricular activities. I used to hate teachers who would act like their class was the only one I
was taking so they would assign non-sense homework. I feel like many of my opinions and
philosophies regarding teaching come from how I felt about my former teachers. This
incorporates the good and the bad from them. The good teachers are the ones who gave
homework to help reinforce what was taught in the class period. It may have been a small
assignment but the fact is that even the little things can be useful. In my journey to teaching I
will constantly look back at those who I admired back in the day. I may even call upon them in
times of need. I know that my philosophy on homework has to be strong and fool proof. I have to
have trust in it in order for it to work. It will be put to the test when people start to question it and
poke holes in it. I feel like if a teacher can defend his or her opinion they are taking a good step

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to becoming great. Hopefully in my teaching career I can stand by my philosophies and defend
them when they go under fire.

Christopher Daller

Assessment Philosophy 2013

Probably one of the most stressful aspects of school for students is tests. Whether it is a
written exam, group project, oral project, or any other type of evaluation, they are crucial to
determining a grade for the given class. Tests are considered a type of assessment, and different
teachers have varying opinions about which was is best. The truth is, no way is really the best
way. All students learn in different ways, which leads to the need of multiple assessment and
evaluation techniques. The difficulty comes when determining the best way to grade each of
these assessments. Every teacher will have a different opinion when it comes to his or her
assessment philosophy, but that does not mean that it will not be affective in the classroom.
Assessment, as discussed in class, is a tool employing valid methods of verifying what a
learner has gained in knowledge, skills, and attitudes and informing both teacher and learner of
what is yet to be accomplished. So basically, it is a method of feedback for both teacher and
student reflecting where the student is at with the material. The purpose for these assessments are
not just for a grade. These assessments guide lesson planning and tell the teacher whether the
students know the material and the next section is appropriate, the students are struggling and
some ideas need to be discussed again, whether the material is too easy, etc. Assessments help
guide the classroom learning schedule. Other purposes of assessment include grading, classroom
management, control, measuring student growth, and determining how to adjust teaching if it is
not working. In my opinion, assessment should not just be tests on paper. I believe there are
many ways to assess student learning.
Furthermore, I believe that in certain situations, students should have a choice of
assessment. For the good test takers, some would have the option of choosing a written test. For

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the visual learners, they could create a diagram, diorama, and present it to the class, with the
teacher asking questions. For kinesthetic learners, they can demonstrate the lesson or unit, again
with the teacher asking questions about it to further explore their knowledge. With proper rubrics
for each one, I believe these could all be legitimate evaluations to assess the students. I believe
that with an option of assessments for final projects or tests, students will get more excited and
feel more confident with themselves at the end of a unit. All of these options are fair because the
test takers may not perform well if they had to demonstrate a lesson, but still know the
information. The teacher would not assess them correctly even if they knew the material. Same
goes with if the visual learners took a test. If the needs of the learner are not met, they may be
falsely evaluated.
Moving on, I believe test results should be immediately revealed to the students. I believe
it is also necessary that the administration have these tests on record. Obviously the teacher will
have the results to keep, but I believe the parents should be notified immediately only if the
student is showing concern while the rest of the class is doing okay. I still believe report cards at
the end of quarters, trimesters, what have you, are very important, but specifics should be kept on
a need to know basis with the parents if the student is doing poorly in the class.
Finally, it can be tricky trying to evaluate the evaluation. I believe that to know if
assessments fairly demonstrate the level of student accomplishment, experience is one of the
most important teachers. All classes will be different so if one unit project did not work well for
one class, it does not mean it will not work the next year. Now if there is a negative pattern over
months or school years, then something needs to be changed on the teacher's part. There is no
one way to teach a certain subject, so it is up to the teacher to decide how to assess the class in
the best way possible, accommodating all of the students' needs.

Christopher Daller

When it comes down to it, assessment is simply feedback from teacher to student about
the learning, or lack of that is happening in the classroom. It helps guide the lesson planning for
the teacher, making the teacher learn from the student as much as the students learn from the
teacher. I believe there are many ways to assess students that will equally demonstrate the level
of student accomplishment on state standards.

Christopher Daller

Education Philosophy 2014

When I start to think about my own personal educational philosophy there are many
factors that come into play. I grew up with my father teaching industrial arts at the high school
level so I was always in his class starting at a very young age and going all the way till I
graduated from high school. I was able to see the way his philosophy on education changed as
the years went on. One of the things that I was always impressed with was the way that the
students reacted to his philosophy. He always was up front with everyone and always let them
know just what was being expected from them. Through observing my father along with other
educators it helped me realize that progressivism is the philosophy that best describes me as a
future teacher. I believe this because there are many times in my life where I am just a go getter
and I am following dreams of mine. I have big plans for how I want my future to be like and I
am going to work extremely hard to get there. When I start new adventures in my life I usually
sit down and envision how I want things to turn out. When I look ahead to my teaching career I
have high hopes for my students. I want each and every one of them to be the successful they can
be. This is how the idealism part of progressivism plays a role in my life. The realism part
closely flows with the idealism aspect because even though I set goals and think of what lies
ahead of me I do not come up with things that are silly or that could never happen. I keep
everything in perspective and do not let my free flying spirit get the best of me. This is going to
really help me when it comes time to assist my students in looking at what path they need to

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take. I am not going to set them up with an unrealistic goal that they could never reach. I believe
students need obstacles that will challenge them minimally and also increase their confidence.
This is how my educational philosophy is shaped by both the ideas of idealism and realism.
Classroom management is going to be directly affected by my philosophy because
I am going to manage the class reasonably. This incorporates making sure each student is set up
correctly to give them the best opportunity to be successful. Each student needs to know that
they are in a safe environment in which there teacher (me) will always be there to help them get
through things. We have all had those teachers who manage the classroom with an iron fist or the
ones who let the students run wild. With keeping the progressive idea at hand it is going to help
me balance the different types of students I am going to have. If I can relate to students and show
them I understand what they are going through then they will be more apt to give me there trust.
From there it will be easy to manage the classroom because students will understand what you
are all about. This makes for the best type of classroom atmosphere.
Discipline will go easy once you have a handle on classroom management in
check. But discipline will be fairly easy to handle because the realism part of my progressivism
will kick in. When a student misbehaves I am not going to make an obscure punishment up. I
will keep everything calm and look at the situation from multiple angles. I plan on teaching at the
high school level so with my progressive philosophy I am hoping that most kids have enough
respect for me not to do anything foolish. A teacher has to discipline students when there is a
disconnect between educator and student. I am going to do everything in my power to not let
there be that disconnect. The other big aspect of discipline is that I am going to make sure that I
am the one who is deciding the consequences. I will never send a student to the office or even
kick them out of class. I believe that it is vital to keep the kids in the classroom. Nothing good

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comes from sending them out. They just are missing information that they could possibly need to
know.

My teaching style and leadership styles will directly stem from my educational

philosophy. Just by teaching I will be leading so I do not really see a difference between the two
things. I am in the classroom to set an example and educate the student. That right there is the
definition of a true leader. You will be able to see what kind of leader I am when you look at my
philosophy. I will be a fair yet energetic leader. I will strive to push the students to be the
absolute best that they can be. That is the idealism part showing up. I want to be able to show the
kids that there is a line between having fun and getting things done. My classroom will have both
of those attributes. The kids are going to enjoy themselves but at the same time they are going to
be educated with the life skills that are a necessity to them.
I have a firm belief that my education philosophy is the best one and the one that
is going to work the best but I cannot ever get satisfied with that. I always want to be the best at
whatever I do. In order for me to do that I have to always be looking at my philosophy and see
what I could get better at. In education there are hundreds of things that could go wrong. If I
encounter some of those it may call for me to rethink parts of my philosophy. It may be the case
where you have to refine your philosophy from class to class because not all students or class
dynamics are the same. If a teacher goes into a classroom and expects the students to change to
their type of teaching, then that class will not be successful. It is up the teacher and students to
find a happy medium and come together to both be successful. Educators must never get stagnant
with what they are doing because that will allow the students to. Keeping things fresh and
exciting will benefit both parties. The only way to do that is to keep an open mind when looking
at your educational philosophy.

Christopher Daller

Statement of Purpose 2015

Teaching has always been the profession that I have wanted to take on ever since I was a
student back in high school. My father has been a high school Industrial Arts teacher for over 15
years now and I have seen the type of impact that he has not only on the students he teaches but
also the community in which he lives in. Everywhere he goes past, present, and future students
stop and talk to him. The feeling that my father gets when former students tell him about how life
lessons he taught them in class are now taking shape in their everyday lives has to be an
extraordinary one. These observations have helped solidify that education is the correct route for
me. I want to impact the way my students move forward with their lives. Teaching is so much
more than just teaching to a course book or a state test. You are preparing kids to be successful as
soon as they walk out of your door. This can be a challenge at times but it is that challenge that
intrigues me.
The biggest preparation for entering the classroom realm has been done on the athletic
fields. I have been a high school football coach at Sparta High School for the past two seasons as
well as a baseball coach at Forest Hills Northern High School. Through holding these positions I
have been able to work hand in hand with students who are trying to strive for success outside of
the classroom. I view coaching and teaching as one in the same thing. It is your job to motivate
your students or players to do things that they may not want to do. I have been able to build
professional relationships with my athletes to the point where they want to talk to me about

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issues that they wouldnt otherwise talk to a parent about. Coaching has taught me how to gain
students trust as well as respect. Taking those skills into the classroom often are what separates
good teachers from great teachers. I will aspire to be a great teacher. I have participated in many
observations during my time at Aquinas College and have seen the way students respond to
teachers whom they trust and have respect for. It is the classrooms that have this balance that are
the most successful. My observation hours have helped provide me with a picture of the way that
I want to run my classroom. I have seen many different styles of teaching and have been able to
formulate a style that I whole heartily believe in. Similar to coaching a teacher needs a style that
represents the type of individual that they are. Through all of these experiences I have learned
about the type of individual that I am which will allow the students to see that I am human just
like them. Student teaching is going to be a learning experience but at the same time it will be a
confirmation that I am ready to start my path of being a great teacher.
When I look at all of the doors that education has opened for me I cannot help but
feel a great deal of humbleness. Aside from producing students who will be successful inside as
well as outside the classroom I will give back to the education process as a whole. I want to give
everything I can back to the process that allowed me to become the individual that I am today. I
will participate in service learning projects that teams up younger kids with high schoolers, I will
help middle school kids get ready for the transition to high school, and I will assist the students
who are getting ready to begin working/head to college. I will not just be a high school teacher
who comes in at 7:30am and then leaves as soon as the bell rings. I feel like I owe the process
that molded me. This is the impact that I will have on the educational environment. The school
district that hires me will be hiring me as an advocate for the whole entire district. Teaching is so

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much more involved that just teaching the students who are in front of you and I am ready to
take on that challenge head on.