I believe that the purpose of education is to help children grow and develop academically, socially, and emotionally. Education is knowledge that you gain at school or anywhere that you are receiving and processing new information. Receiving an academic education benefits you by gaining the basic academics that are important to know in life, such as reading, writing, and basic math skills.  Our everyday tasks relate back to what we learned back in kindergarten and even in the 5th grade. We daily use basic addition, subtraction, reading, and writing skills. Children are in institutions that are continuously feeding them information on a daily basis. Aside from learning the basic academic skills, these institutions teach children social skills, such as ethics and morals. Whether it is academic or life related, children and teachers are continuously being educated.

    I believe that children learn best when they are learning what they are interested in and are surrounded by the appropriate materials. Children learn best through play and by doing. Throughout a school day, children are interacting with their peers and teacher, ask questions and are constantly curious. A curious child is a learning and excited child. If a child asks questions, this means that the child actively wants to learn. Each child has his or her own way and pace of learning and developing. I believe that learning is an ongoing process; it never stops. Learning is the process of understanding and being able to demonstrate a concept. Understanding is greater than knowledge. A child will show understanding by describing or demonstrating the concept in his or her own words or ways. I believe that children have certain needs that must be met in order for learning to occur. These needs are social, emotional, intellectual, and physical support. As teachers, we are responsible to provide support to these needs to the best of our abilities.   

    Due to these needs, I believe that the curriculum should be designed and structured around the needs of the students; basically student-centered. We should decipher what students yearn to learn. To design a curriculum that is student-centered, we need to get to know our students well enough so that the curriculum will meet the needs of each child individually. As teachers, we should encourage students to interact with everyone in the classroom. I believe that teachers should encourage students to ask questions and participate in lessons. The curriculum should be designed to help the students grow and develop to be well rounded, academically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. I believe that students in any classroom should have an influence on the curriculum. As the teacher, you need to be flexible with the curriculum. Being flexible will naturally encourage students to have the want and drive to learn new things. I believe that the students should be able to take part ownership of the curriculum; it affects them just as much as it affects the teacher. The students should take part ownership by sharing with the teacher what they want to learn and their interests about a certain concept. The teacher will be able to implement the students’ interests in the lesson plans. Doing this involves class participation, which is good to have in a classroom.

    I believe that the teacher should be respectful, honest, caring, sensitive, open-minded, attentive, supportive, and reflective. These qualities and characteristics are what a teacher should have in order to be the best teacher he or she can be. The teacher is the one adult, other than family, that students are constantly around. I believe the teacher should be a role model for his or her students. The teacher needs to keep her word and behave appropriately. Students are always watching and observing what the teacher says and does, therefore, we need to be aware of our choices and actions. Being honest with our students will exemplify how to be honest with others. Classrooms will be filled with students from different cultural, socio-economic, family, and religious backgrounds. The teacher needs to be understanding and respectful of the differences within his or her classroom. Since each student learns in their own way, the teacher needs to be supportive, especially of the students who may need the extra help and attention with the schoolwork. I believe that people choose to the teaching profession for the children.

   

    Throughout the school year, the teacher and students learn to lean and depend on each other. Students learn to lean on the teacher for support with problems they encounter and teachers lean on students for feedback of their teaching and students lean on the teacher for help in anything and everything. I believe that students and teachers should have a special bond and relationship to encourage this support system. I believe the teacher is the anchor of the classroom, keeping everything in order and organized.

    I believe that the classroom environment should be inviting and comfortable. The first day of school is always hard and nerve-racking. Most students will walk into the classroom feeling nervous and anxious. To create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere, the class should be designed and decorated in that matter. The teacher should acknowledge each child as he or she walks in so that the child already feels a sense of belonging and comfort. Since the classroom is where the teacher and students will be spending a lot of time together, I believe that the classroom should act as a safe place for students.

    The classroom is where students will grow, develop, and discover who they are as people and as students. They will discover their strengths and weaknesses. I believe that the classroom should be treated as a sacred place for both students and teacher. Many friendships and relationships will form within the classroom throughout the school year. I believe that students should feel as though their classroom is like their second home; a place where they can be themselves without any worry. Students should feel welcomed everyday, even possibly after the school year, into the classroom. 

    I believe that school is very important for a child’s social development. I believe that school is a great influence to a child’s self-concept and self-esteem. Children learn how to act and react to social events within a school environment. They adapt to how their peers react to them; learning their limitations while developing ethics and morals. I believe developing a positive social aspect in the early years of schooling is very important. Children and adolescents become dependent on their peers. They come to care quite a bit about how their peers think of them and if they are socially accepted. As the teacher, it is your role to guide students to discover their self-identity. Aside from family values, students will develop their ethical and moral values at school. I believe that the classroom environment should be designed with this in mind.

    I believe that together, the teacher and students are one team. Working as a team will help the classroom be dynamically strong and run smoothly. The teacher will guide her students throughout the school year and the students will learn to trust that the teacher is leading them in the right path. Teachers should be asking, “How are the students doing?” Doing so will show that the teacher is interested in his or her students and shows that the teacher cares. The students’ success, growth, and development should be at the top of the priority list. The students will learn and grow, but the teacher will also. I believe at the end of the school year, grades are less superior to what the students actually took in from the school year. What the students succeed in or have trouble succeeding in will help the teacher develop different teaching styles that will help her students get to where they should be.