Classroom Philosophy

"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom." -George Washington Carver

Why I want to become a teacher:

• I love working with students and helping them understand concepts that they struggle with, because I love observing their "Light Bulb" moment when they finally understand what they had struggled with. It's a great feeling knowing that you helped them to get to that point and truly helped them.  I have been a tutor since fifth grade and enjoy it, even during the frustrating times. I was also a substitute teacher for a couple years after graduating high school and was excited to be a part of a classroom in a educator role. Becoming a teacher seemed like a good career choice for me and one that I can see myself being happy to pursue.  

For my classroom philosophy:

• I want to establish a classroom that the students can call their own. I don't want the students to label the classroom as "Miss Hardman's Classroom." Instead I want them to be able to say "Our Classroom," and know that we all share the responsibility of creating a positive and productive learning environment. Each student should feel like they belong to the class and are equal to his or her peers.
• I want the students to be able to have a say in how the classroom is managed and know that their input is valued in our classroom. Though I will have my main rules for the classroom, known as the five golden rules (Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Prepared, Be Productive, and Be Positive), I want the students to determine what rules we should have to help enforce the five golden rules. 
• To ensure that students are learning the concepts being taught in the class, I will allow them to redo assignments that they have struggles with. So often it seems that teachers are expecting students to automatically and fully understand what we are trying to teach them and after the students receive a score on an assignment or test we move onto the next subject with little to no review of concepts that the students were struggling with. I want my students to feel as if they are actually learning what I am teaching them and give them chances to do better. 
• I prefer the constructivist teaching approach where the teacher and students work together on classroom procedures and building the classroom environment. I feel that the constructivist approach gives the students the necessary support and guidance to be successful in the classroom while also allowing the students to begin developing their skills of independence.