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Philosophy Statement |
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No child's intellectual and spiritual beauty should linger undiscovered. As a teacher, I must make certain that a child's gifts are polished, liberated, and enabled. In that quest, I will watch for yearnings, satisfactions, rapid learnings, and glimpses of excellence. Children can grow infinitely in areas of strength and then gain confidence to tackle areas of non-strength. I will always look for and develop talent, rather than ferreting out weaknesses and trying to fix them. At my core, I will maintain the belief that the children I teach are the heart and soul of all that matters. A sense of joy and wonder will permeate my classroom. I will create an environment that shouts to students, "Thank goodness, it is MONDAY! It gives me five days to be with and learn together with you." Students will feel welcomed, liked, and valued in my classroom, regardless of label placed upon them by schools and society. My classroom will be a safe haven where intellectual risk-taking and diversity are honored. Content knowledge will be important, but attitudes about creating a "good life" will be paramount, too. Issues of social justice, altruism, civility, and responsibility will be interwoven into the fabric of the classroom. I will seek to have students search out simplicity ONLY after they have struggled with complexity and emerged on the other side. Students will savor ambiguity and diversity, which are fortunately inherent in living within the complexity of a democracy. Being students in my class should result in multiple doors being openedto their future. I will seek to liberate talent.
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