My Statement of Educational Philosophy

As I see it, an exemplary educator must recognize the individuality of the child and that each child’s learning style is different. This is true in reference to culture and family backgrounds as well. Not only do students want to be heard, they must be heard. The learning environment is a two-way street, and mutual respect is the key to its success.

Each child truly does want to learn and does look to the adult as a guide through the learning process. A true educator understands that the student communicates best when felt that he/she is being guided in a manner that leads to progress, rather than solely assessing one’s work through quantitative means. Students thrive when the educator is passionate about their own personal success.

Furthermore, each and every child excels at something; sometimes it is a question of recognizing the talents of the individual student, and creating a unique environment whereby he/she can thrive. Educators should always seek out a means of recognizing this, even when it entails dealing with an entire classroom of students.

Standards must be established and set at the beginning, and must be well communicated to the students. When students do not know what to expect, they are simply unable to recognize the need to meet them. In sum, students would rather have standards and structure than to than to try to interpret – with the possibility of misinterpretation - what is to be expected of them.

The student of today is technologically savvy; rather than limiting or denying the student access to those environments in which the child feels the most comfortable, it behooves the educator to learn from the child, and incorporate these technologies into the learning environment.

It is vital to understand that the 21^st Century is a fast-paced and ever-changing environment with an increase in the delivery and quantity of information as never seen before. It is incumbent on the educator of today to guide the student of today into this Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 world, by staying at the forefront of changes in education, being active in virtual and online environments, advancing one’s professional career, and promoting the positive value of social media in education and setting an example for the student of today by using such technologies in a legal and ethical manner.