My Educational Values

When thinking about being an influential and above and beyond educator, what comes to mind for me?

For me, majoring in Social Studies, I believe that it is important to strive to keep personal bias out of classroom discussions and delivery of information. As stated in my “I believe…” statements, I want to be an educator who teaches students how to develop critical thinking skills and be able to apply them in real life situations and issues within society. To do this successfully, keeping my own opinions out of the classroom will be essential. One of the reasons I believe bias in the classroom is unjust and harmful to the learning environment is because for example, if I gave my opinion to my students during a classroom discussion, some students may be afraid to say their own opinions if they differ from mine. They may feel uncomfortable participating in class discussion, which deteriorates all opportunity to develop these thinking skills. I want my classroom to be a place of enriching discussion and differing perspectives, and a willingness and enthusiasm for sharing ideas, thoughts, and unique opinions.

Another one of my personal teaching philosophies is to have a classroom environment that students look forward to being in. During my time in school, my Social Studies teacher for grades 11-12 included an almost museum-like display of old war helmets and artifacts. His classroom was covered in different historical items and different posters and art pieces that were significant to different points in history. This always made me look forward to being in his classroom, finding a new item to look at and learn about every day. It showed the dedication and passion that this teacher displayed to be in that room teaching every day. That passion from him transferred to me, which is the reason I am studying Social Studies education today. That is how important it is to show students that you want to be there, and that you care about the quality of their education. I strive to have an interesting classroom that displays my passion for Social Studies so that possibly, I could inspire someone else.

Inclusivity and willingness to learn from students is something I also value when striving to be an educator. Thinking about hearing perspectives from so many unique students makes me excited to start my career as a teacher. As much as I will be presenting students with information, I will also be learning every day from the students in my class. This is why I want to create a space where students feel comfortable sharing things about themselves and their thoughts. This also provides me with the opportunity to ensure that my students are being presented information in the correct way to optimize their learning experience. It is important to form friendly, but professional relationships to students so you can adapt to their own individual ways of knowing and being.