Philosophy Of Education Lauren Mariano I believe that all students have the ability to learn and grow with

the aid of education. Students grow into lifelong learners, in a productive society with the help of a solid education. Education is very vital to the success of everyone in a society. Stressing that vitality will only increase the drive of students to accomplish all they can with their education. As educators and parents, we must create a place for students to grow and mature as they are taught lessons that can be used in life outside of the classroom. This is accomplished by students working hard and being motivated in the classroom, teachers creating an environment for students to soak in all the information they will need, and parents who can help encourage and support their students. A great support system from both the staff at school and parents at home will ensure a childs increased focus and dedication to their education. This ensures that students will learn the necessary material in the everyday curriculum, while at the same time; learn different skills that can be used in their everyday lives. Parents are involved in my classroom with monthly communication between home and school, whether that be newsletters, calls or emails home, or even a meeting to check on the progress of a student. Parents are also invited into my classroom at any appropriate time to observe the instruction their child is receiving and ensure their student is getting the education that they expect. There must always be a connection between a students school and home, because the two environments are dependent of one another. A students day at school may be directly related to how their morning went, or a situation that is occurring in their home. It is our job, as teachers, to open that line of communication and keep it consistent in order to keep parents involved and knowledgeable of their students successful progression through their education, while in the classroom. Parents and teachers are the main support system of children as they grow and their continued collaboration is key to a students success. As 21st century teachers, we must understand the beautiful variety we have in each and every one of our classrooms. Living in the United States has ensured a melting pot culture, with differing races, religions, languages, abilities and just varying ways of life. These differences are all around us in our classrooms each day. Students are all unique and are a part of a diverse group of learners, and catering to each and every need of my students is my main job as an educator. As I create different means of instruction, I will help to reach all learners. Gone are the days of solely auditory learners, I believe we must be advocates for Gardners multiple intelligences, accommodating to spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic and logical learners. By creating a colorful bulletin board or adding a hands-on activity to a lesson, all students become interested and engaged in their learning. This diverse group of students that enter into classrooms every fall, not only teach educators how to reach all learners and provide for all abilities, but fellow students also can become more versatile and share many meaningful experiences they have learned about in their classroom with society around them. The use of technology will play a large part in my educational philosophy because by using technology children can bring flat information to life with different programs that can be integrated into the classroom. The world around us has changed and evolved, therefore the 21st century classroom must do the same. By integrating different programs and applications into my classroom, my students will be able to use technology not just for an outlet for research and analysis, but also as an outlet for exploration. My classroom will expose students to technology as a tool for exploring the world around them, in addition to a resource that will help aid in their traditional classroom education. I use many modes of technology including presentation applications, such as Prezi and the use of a smart board, hands-on instruction tools, such as the iPad, along with many tools to reinforce and review, such as websites, games, and various interactive instructional technology programs. As the world becomes more dependent on

technology, my classroom will become more independent of the previous century of teaching, which was unaware of the importance and benefit of involving technology into everyday instruction. Charles Handy once said, Instead of a national curriculum for education, what is really needed is an individual curriculum for every child, which encompasses the ideas that I have about curriculum and instruction in my own classroom. Every child is different and conventional instructional strategies that have been used in the past need to changed to accommodate 21st century learners. My curriculum will help reach a goal of having my students become better communicators, critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators, and also more culturally and environmentally aware. I will accomplish this goal by giving my students experiences in the classroom that will ensure their success outside of the classroom. By creating a classroom where students are more aware of the environment and the world around them, students will be more prepared when they enter the real world. And by creating situations for students to think critically, be creative and also solve problems individually and collaboratively with others, they will be prepared for many issues that arise in the world after they leave my classroom. Another important aspect of 21st century curriculum and instruction is a cross-disciplinary outlook on the education of young children. By teaching all content areas, we not only create versatile learners but also mold young children into skillful adults who can accept and work through any problem that arises in their lives. My curriculum will consist of content areas being implemented into a variety of lessons, such as a math component being used in an art lesson. While implementing a variety of content areas into the everyday curriculum, I also strongly believe in a comfortable, safe and fun environment for the ideas and instruction to take place. Students all deserve a positive and effective learning environment that welcomes all diverse students and their parents as well. Having a center-based classroom is a priority of mine because of my strong avocation for differentiated instruction and catering to all learners and their learning styles. By having a variety of centers (such as dramatic play, art, blocks and building toys, literacy, sensory, etc.), I ensure that I will reach all aspects of education to help each and every one of my students. My classroom is not only a place for learning new information that will help become members of society, but also a safe haven for students to feel respected and important to the world around them. No teacher is perfect and as I have progressed becoming a teacher, I see the evidence of this everyday. One of the aspects that separate the good teachers from the great teachers is classroom management. My style of classroom management is based around the principle of respect. By teaching my students about respect, not only for their teacher but also the other students in their classroom, they learn how to create positive relationships inside and outside of the classroom. Respect provides an atmosphere where all students feel important and confident because they are given the right to be independent and themselves. The idea of respect also helps me to manage the class in order to keep the safety of students my highest priority. By explaining to students to listen when anyone is talking in the classroom, not being off task or distracting, and also working as hard as they can, students learn how to become lifelong learners who can be productive and appreciated individuals in society. A very important goal that I would like to accomplish is to transform children into excited, outgoing and knowledgeable human beings, while at the same time building their character to become the future successful individuals once they leave my classroom.