Development occurs in many areas and through many channels. Whether it be social, linguistic, emotional, moral, physical, or any content related learning or development, it will be achieved through both external and internal forces. Externally, a child learns from the people who surround him or her. Early in life that includes the family. By the time the child begins to attend school he or she has a number of classmates to both challenge and be challenged by. The student’s development will be advanced by those challenges. In addition to classmates, teachers and other adults exert developmental influences. Through modeling and careful use of scaffolding, adults foster the moral, linguistic and cognitive development of children. Furthermore, a student will best develop if they have the desire to learn. By desire, I refer to the subconscious human need to make sense of newly presented information. The most important force in learning is the joy found in both the process and end result. The question that now presents itself is how to best create an environment for learning, while taking into account all forces of development.

    Children learn best in a safe environment. They must feel safe both physically and emotionally in order for true learning to take place. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs helps to demonstrate my point. Without a safe learning community where a trusted teacher is available, learning will fail to take place at a desirable rate and level of profoundness.  Children learn best when their self-esteem is enhanced. This allows for acknowledgment of intrinsic rewards. When the purpose of an activity is communicated, children are better able to relate to the material. Given autonomy in the classroom, children are better able to connect with and find interest in their learning. With that being said, it is ideal that activities be built upon previous knowledge, interesting to the student, appropriately challenging and presented in a clear and concise way. Through that approach, children are able to achieve the highest level of learning (think Bloom’s Taxonomy). Children learn best when their bodies and minds are properly nourished and exercised. While nutrition and exercise mostly lie within the hands of the parents and not the teachers, it is important to understand the impact these actions have on cognition.

    Students and teachers both have roles in the learning process. However, it is important to note the differences. Students need to be active in their own learning. They should explore and make connections between new and old information. Learning ought to include experiences in both social and solitary settings. Young children have yet to mature sufficiently in order to guide their own learning processes. That is where the role of the teacher becomes especially important. First and foremost, the teacher must model. I cannot take credit for this next piece of wisdom, but it has served me well on my journey to becoming a teacher. The students may not remember what you said (or taught them), but they will remember how you made them feel. As the teacher models moral behavior and demonstrates higher level thinking students are able to find trust, a necessary part of the classroom community. The teacher must learn to facilitate and guide his or her students toward discovering valuable information. A teacher should work to create and uphold the effective learning environment previously described. An essential act of the teacher is to encourage the students. They need encouragement to try, to fail and to try again.

    I envision a classroom where the walls are covered with every students’ work. Their bill of rights and responsibilities hangs front and center for quick reference in times of moral questioning. Children have the opportunity to learn while working in groups with their peers. The material will be relevant and interesting. It will enable multiple intelligences to shine. Children will also have the opportunity to work alone and to have ample time to reflect on their learning. The teacher is part of the classroom community and models fair, firm and consistent behavior, honestly guiding students towards the discovery of important skills.

    In my opinion, the most important characteristic of a teacher is the desire to give. Your job as a teacher doesn’t stop when the bell rings at the end of the day.  Therefore, a teacher must want to give of him or herself. A teacher must also be caring, accepting and dedicated. Every child deserves to be a part of the most ideal learning community possible. Without the heart and dedication of a teacher, creating that ideal community would be difficult. A teacher must be patient, passionate and reflective. In a profession such as teaching, it would be difficult to remain patient without a strong desire and passion to be there. A teacher must be reflective in order to know if their practice is meeting the needs of their students. That is the true authentic assessment of the teacher. A teacher should be balanced, as the many pressures and responsibilities of teaching can and often will be overwhelming. A teacher must genuinely like children. The teacher must care for their present, be mindful of their future and sensitive to their past. And finally, a teacher must be strong in their convictions. There will be many times when a teacher will have to stand his or her ground while advocating on behalf of the students.

    In a perfect world, all teachers would exemplify their own personal educational philosophy. In the meantime, we simply must do our best to help change the lives of those thirty something children in our classroom and have faith that we are changing the world in doing so.

“The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. He inspires self-distrust. He guides their eyes from himself to the spirit that quickens him. He will have no disciple.” - Amos Bronson Alcott

Back     Next