Growing up I often struggled with learning.  Luckily I had dedicated and enthusiastic teachers and tutors who helped me to gain confidence and discover what learning styles best suited me.  It is these educators who have influenced my decision to be a teacher and my current teaching philosophy.

            I believe that all students have enormous potential to learn and succeed.  As a result, a teacher needs to do everything in his/her power to help students realize and fulfill this potential.

            One way to do this is by teaching with a variety of methods and styles.  By using techniques that involve things like hands-on learning, auditory and visual learning, groups, and past knowledge it allows every student the opportunity to understand the topic.  This not only makes the topic more fun, but gets the students critically thinking which the primary goal is.

            I also believe that motivation is an important aspect of teaching.  Even if the students appear to have no interest in the topic or learning, the teacher must be positive and enthusiastic.  I feel that the teacher always has an affect on students, even if it’s not necessarily obvious, and motivation makes teaching and learning more fun.

            I also believe that it is important to make a connection to your students.  The role of the teacher is not just as an educator, but also as a mentor and sometimes even a friend.  This connection allows students to be more comfortable and participate in ways they might not have otherwise.  This bond is also beneficial for the teacher who can discover things from the students to make the lessons relate more to their interests and feelings.  But most importantly this makes learning a positive experience which will affect the student’s view of education for the rest of their life.

            Overall, a teacher has to have a true passion for teaching, and needs to truly want to help a child learn.