I will, in the near-future, be entering the classroom as a teacher rather than a student. As I continue to learn and gain experience, my beliefs and pedagogies will evolve and develop along with me but as of now, these are my beliefs and philosophies about the ways that I will build a classroom for social and ecological justice.
I believe in inclusivity. I hope that as a teacher, I practice with the intent, and to the best of my ability, being accepting and supportive of all of my students. I believe in making my classroom an environment in which all of my students are able to see themselves represented. I want my students to feel as though their voices and experiences are important and being heard by me.
I believe in making and learning from mistakes. I believe that I as a teacher, but particularly as a white teacher, will make many mistakes and will likely have problematic behaviours and unconscious biases, but I believe that in order to be an educator for social and ecological justice that I do not have to do everything right the first time. To be a good teacher, I believe that mistakes are okay, as long as I also make an effort to change for the better whenever they are made. This belief also extends beyond myself, I believe that it is so important to create a classroom in which students feel comfortable and safe if they happen to make a mistake. I hope to impart upon my students the importance and benefits of making mistakes, and the ways in which mistakes are wonderful learning opportunities.
I believe in patience and acceptance above all. I want my students to feel like they are able to be themselves in my classroom, I want them to feel safe and to feel welcomed, but I believe that patience and allowing them to recognize and feel settled in that safety is just as important. I want my students to know that they do not have to come to me with their problems, but that should they choose to, I will be there to listen to and support them to the best of my ability no matter what.