When thinking about my educational philosphy, I chose the heading raising a classroom. To me, my classroom and my students are very important so I treat them like family. One of the unique aspects of my classroom is that I do get to see the same students for four consectutive years. There are many benefits to this but what I cherish most is being able to form solid relationships with my students over the years. If I had to break my philosophy down into three parts it would be:

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1. Forming Relationships

2. Providing a safe environment

3. Developing good citizens.

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Forming relationships is the foundation of a good education. As I mentioned earlier I am priveliged in the sense that I get to form relationships with my students over four years, not just a year or even a semester. This allows me to really get to know their interest and what they enjoy doing outside of school as well. I can use this information to help guide my lesson planning to make sure they are interested in what it is we are learning. It also enables me to have a lot more fun with my students.

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Providing a safe environment to me goes beyond just being physically safe. In my classroom I take pride in building relationships with the students so that they feel comfortable coming to me with any problem they may be having at home or at school. The students trust me, which means a lot to me. I also make sure to have things to meet their basic needs in my room. We have hygiene kits and plenty of snacks to help get us through the day.

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When I speak of developing good citizens I am talking about preparing my students for independent life. Many of my students come from broken homes, extreme poverty or have parents who may have disabilities as well. It is important for me to model what it looks like to be responsible and capitilize on teaching moments when they happen. To me there is nothing better than watching a student grow as a person as they progress through high school with me.