Let's break it down...My PhilosophyMy teaching philosophy is the background of my management decisions. I would be hard pressed to pick one definitive philosophy that informs my teaching because I am adaptive. I find that I am always changing and evolving to become a better person and teacher. For the sake of not writing a novel on here I will choose one I feel best aligns with my teaching at this point in my career. In David Sadker and Karen Zittleman’s textbook, Teachers, Schools, and Society: A Brief Introduction to Education, some of the most common theories of teaching are defined for you. After reading through theories of Essentialism and Progressivism and many more, I found myself shaking my head in agreement with one philosophy in particular, Social Reconstructionism. According to Sadker and Zittleman, “social reconstructionism encourages schools, teachers, and students to focus their studies and energies on alleviating pervasive social inequities and, as the name implies, reconstruct society into a new and more just social order” (192). Maybe it is just my innate biases but who does not want a more “just” future? America is under constant change which means the student population is vastly different from its genesis. Its composition varies in race, gender, and sexuality. This is important to consider because not everyone is accepted into the unspoken “norm” of American culture. These outliers are subject to bullying and discrimination which I believe can be changed in the classroom. If students are taught to be accepting of the differences present in today’s society, then our future has a shot of being less combative and violent. Teachers will be giving everyone an opportunity to impact the future, and for me, that is why I teach.
Click the links below to see my classroom management plan! |