Miss Pratscher's Educational Philosophy
As I begin to embark on my journey of becoming a Middle Level teacher, I find that there are moral and intellectual demands that I must live up to in order to be a successful educator. As I continue my education and work towards my degree I hope to accomplish the virtues that I have set for myself.
Sensitivity toward the varieties of individual and cultural diversity is a moral virtue that I tend to develop. Every child comes into the classroom with different strengths and weaknesses. An educator must get to know their students well enough in order to work with that child and help them with aspects they may struggle with. When I have my own classroom I will work to get to know something new about my students everyday and try to figure out how I can make them more successful in school. Also, cultural diversity is an aspect in the school system that I think needs a lot of improvement. Children are not getting enough exposure to the world around them and the differences among people. Whether one teaches in a highly diverse school system or not, children need to be exposed to different religions, cultures and ethnicities. I can prepare myself for this by starting a classroom library now that contains books with diverse characters, plots and messages. It is also my responsibility, as a future educator, to educate myself on diversity and cultural differences.
Additionally, interest in and ability to seek out informational, technological, and collegial resources is an intellectual virtue that I am going to work on. A teacher never stops being a student and therefore must keep themselves updated with the latest information and technology. Also, it is important to use collegial resources in order to find out what other teachers are doing in their classroom in order to keep your teaching techniques updated and fresh. A teacher must be able to ask for advice when it comes to needing your own help. I will do whatever it takes to be a successful teacher and I know that entails me to keep myself educated so I can educate my students. I can prepare for this virtue by keeping myself updated with the newest classroom technology and updating myself on new information from text books or additional education courses. I believe in order to keep a classroom successful it must have fresh and innovative ideas.
The final virtue I have chosen to develop is to have a contagious intellectual enthusiasm and courage to be creative. When I ask middle school students what their ideal teacher would be the reoccurring answer seems to be that they must have enthusiasm. I am committed to making sure my class is a place where students want to be and a place where they feel like they can have fun and learn at the same time. I hope throughout my journey preparing to become a teacher I can pick up new and creative ways to make class enjoyable. The teacher sets the tone of the classroom and I am motivated to make sure my classroom is always positive.
I am committed to being
responsive to the moral and intellectual virtues that