In my philosophy, I believe that all students deserve access to education in which they can relate to and see themselves. Throughout university, I have come to learn that curriculum and education have been built on Eurocentric ideologies that oppress minority students and hinder minorities’ presence in content. This has fueled my belief that students need to see themselves in the content as it can help students with their identities and also help students to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. I also believe it is critical for multilingual educators to build trust with students, as relationships can make students feel comfortable and seen, improving their trust and ultimately, their learning. This belief comes from my work as a babysitter, as one of the girls I babysat would not go into the water during her swimming lessons. To assist her, I began going to her lessons and getting in the water with her, and she began feeling comfortable enough to swim.  The relationship we had created a trust that allowed her to learn with me. In the future, the goal I will aim to maintain for my future students is to have and maintain a good work ethic while in my class. This will not necessarily be reflected in their grades but will be reflected in the quality of work that students hand in. This is a skill that will aid all students in the future. Another goal that I will hold for students in my future teaching is to strive for their best. This can be linked to a strong work ethic if students are willing to put in the work, it is more likely that the completed work is reflective of students ability. These goals are important in multilingual classes, as they hold all students to high expectations and are based on the student’s knowledge and abilities. 

As an educator, I believe that a multilingual classroom environment must be a place where all identities, cultures, religions, genders, or sexual orientations can be expressed and respected. A multilingual classroom environment also means that all students are represented in the ‘decor’, literature, and other learning materials around the classroom. As I have come to learn from peer seminars I attended in a University course, these aspects of a classroom can create a feeling of inclusivity for all students as they see representations of themselves in the classroom. A multilingual classroom needs to be a space where critical conversations about students’ concerns, oppression, and other issues can be discussed, and discourse can occur. Throughout my courses in University, it has become obvious to me how critical these conversations are to have with students as many aspects of society, such as the arts, education, and healthcare, are built on white ideologies and different oppressions. 

My experiences in the education field have helped to form my ideology on how students learn best. All students learn differently, so what works for one student may not for another. A critical aspect to gauge students’ attention is relating the material to something they enjoy or including students’ identity in the material. This is another reason why I believe relationships are crucial for multilingual educators. Relationships will allow teachers to identify topics of interest for students or will allow educators to find resources students can relate to. 

To facilitate learning for students of differing abilities, it is critical to provide all students access to different inexpensive learning assistance tools, such as pencil grippers or highlighter bookmarks. These tools can assist those without disabilities and make students who have learning disabilities feel more comfortable using the tools. I also believe it is important to keep books of varying abilities, languages, cultures, and other orientations to assist in students learning. Lastly, I think it is important for all students to feel included and safe within the classroom and school, as it will help students feel comfortable learning.

Overall, I believe the purpose of multilingual education is the creation of knowledge and discovery and the development of critical thinking skills. I have this belief because multilingual classrooms have more collective knowledge, and allow for the learning of different cultures and languages. This also allows for the creation of critical thinking as students can have a more in-depth analysis of the issues present in society.