My Philosophy on Teaching


The education of our children is the single most important task that we as human beings have before us. It is the children of today that will occupy the world of tomorrow and, it is the educator of today that will shape the views, beliefs and very moral fiber of the citizens of tomorrow. It is a huge responsibility that educators are entrusted with and, with that trust comes, a great civic and moral responsibility not only to the student but, also to the community and, in a larger sense, to our country and the world. As teachers we must be aware of our responsibilities but we must also be aware of our own failings. We must be vigilant in our pursuit of professional growth and cognizant of the fact that there is always more that we can learn. We must be willing to seek out assistance from other educators and not be afraid to ask for help when a problem is beyond our scope of expertise. We must strive to develop trust with our students and they must feel comfortable in bringing their problems to us, for the role of the educator is not limited by the boundaries of the classroom and, our students must feel safe in the confidence that we are resolved to do our utmost not only in their education but also in the assistance of any problem, whether academic or otherwise.

I believe that the abilities to read and write are the most important skills that a child can learn, that reading and writing are the foundations on which other disciplines are built and, that a deficiency in the area of reading and writing may lead to problems in many other areas of learning. I believe that children want to learn and that they enjoy reading, writing and learning from each other. Students must feel safe to make mistakes and, the classroom must be an environment that is free of the fear of embarrassment or ridicule. I believe that if students are nurtured in a safe environment that is conducive to exploration and group discovery that their individual skills in literacy will continue to grow. I also strongly believe that all reading and writing, whether presented in a formal or informal setting, expands a childs base of knowledge, and that children will read, write and retain at their very best if encouraged to read and write about things that hold a special significance in their individual lives. I feel that a whole language concept is the most versatile and effective for teaching literacy but, I also believe that we as educators must be flexible in our teaching strategies and that in the end we must use whatever skills are necessary to make the connection for each individual learner.

I believe that the secret to good classroom management is the microscopic planning of every detail of classroom layout and daily routine, long before the first student sets foot in the classroom. Classroom rules need to be firmly established on the very first day of class and, reviewed often, through out the school year. I believe that classroom rules need to be few, meaningful, and clear. Whenever possible the children themselves should be allowed to help establish classroom rules. In so doing the student develops a sense of empowerment and a sense of ownership in the classroom that will ultimately translate into a better learning environment. I believe that children learn from each other and that cooperative groups should be used whenever possible. In the past a quiet classroom was considered a well managed classroom, to a very limited extent that is still true today. However, I do not believe in a classroom full of rigid little statues and I envision a classroom where students learn by asking questions and sharing thoughts and ideas with the teacher and, with each other.

I feel that extrinsic rewards should always have a very limited place in the classroom, and that intrinsic rewards have far more worth. The development of life long learners is the ultimate goal of each educator and this can only be accomplished when the student flies free of external physical rewards, becomes self starting and is sustained by an intrinsic motivation that we as educators can only hope to instill. To that end, the classroom should be a place where students feel safe; a place where they want to be. Children should feel free to experiment and explore but most importantly, they should feel safe to make mistakes without fear of failure. I believe that learning should be meaningful yet fun and that the goal of teaching should always be, not simply to impart facts but, to leave the student with a life long unquenchable desire to learn still more.

We can only assist learners if we can properly evaluate what the student has learned and, the very best way to do this is by comparing the students work with samples of past works. It is for this reason that I believe that portfolios and artifacts should be used as a primary means for evaluating student progress when ever possible. I understand that grades are a necessity but I also believe that much too often more importance is placed on a letter grade than on a students true academic progression. As a teacher I believe that it is easy to slip into the trap of focusing on the children who are eager to learn and that we need to be especially cognizant of our biases. We need to make a special effort to help those who struggle and not lose track of those who are simply average. We must strive to meet all learner needs and actively seek new and better ways to teach. We must continually refine our craft, hone our collection of teaching strategies and organize our time so that we are open and ready for every teaching moment that presents itself. We must realize that educating our children is not an individual endeavor but a team effort and, we must become an essential part of a teaching team. In so doing we must put aside our ego issues, come to the realization that no one teacher has all the answers, and remove the stumbling blocks that interfere with the edification of not only our students, but also our teachers. We must open the doors of our classrooms and invite in fresh effective ideas and parental participation. We must strive to keep our methods fresh and avoid the pitfall of stagnation that comes from dogmatic repetition. We must never lose sight of the prize that is the twinkle of knowledge found in the eyes, of the student who experiences the epiphany of understanding.

John Michael Snyder 2001