Jillian Sommerville

March 17, 2015

Personal Philosophy Statement
I believe the purpose of education is to gather young minds together in an
environment where they can feed off each others ideas to expand their cognitive
potential. Through discovering, observing, and interacting with peers, expansion of
knowledge is enhanced. Collective discussion and debates enable students to
reinforce assumptions and correct misconceptions. A classroom bursting with
purposeful communication will attain success in the long run. All together, the
educational experience is a path ensuring that every individual is enveloped by a
positive environment filled with praise for the development of self-confidence and
belief in ones unique abilities.
Motivation is stemmed by interest in a topic. It is my role to fire up students
about the joy and growth that comes with committing to be lifelong learners. My
goal is to spark the fire inside students by developing a wide range of projects and
activities that apply to different learning methods and interest levels. The more
connections a student makes between class material and interests, the more likely
the student is to hold onto the new concepts. Assignments where students are
allowed to build as many links between learning material and day-to-day life
experiences are prime to an effective curriculum. Moreover, movement plays a key
role in stimulating students learning abilities. An active, up-beat pace to each day
in the classroom keeps students minds energized, alert, and responsive. Daily
adventures should take place not only to expose students to how the materials they
are learning pertain to everyday life but also to increase daily exercise levels. Even
if it is just taking a walk to the patch of grass on the playground to discover and
reflect on the impact of grass on our ecosystem; experience, interaction, and
observation are keys to the learning process.
Active assessments of my students in the individual, small group, and whole
group settings while using a variety of informal assessments will let me monitor
student progress and best prepare students for summative assessments. Frequent
informal assessment, from displaying hand signals to utilizing post-it notes, allows
me to best tailor my teaching to my students direct needs at the moment and in
guiding my curriculum. Summative assessments include but are not limited to tests,
projects, portfolios, presentations, posters, and models. The design and
implementation of these assessments are vital in tracking the progress of my
students and monitoring the effectiveness of my teaching. Furthermore, recording
continuous data and observations on my students will further boost my planning for
stronger instruction and dynamic behavior management.
My classroom is a place where family gathers. Each day, the family comes
together to make mistakes, face challenges, and take risks with no limits in sight.
My family is a team, therefore we will reach success when we seek each other out,
build each other up, and maintain a positive spirit. Both the social and physical
surroundings of the family nurture the motivation and optimism of the family.
Procedures, guidelines, and structures will be encouraged and supported from the
start to set the clear expectations of each student that are vital for the team to find
success together all year long. Family members accept each other for every unique
aspect each one brings to the table. Although each one of us comes from diverse
lifestyles, everyone is equally deserving of being treated the same. Differences in
culture will be used as learning experiences. Additionally, classroom standards are
functional, thus they are beneficial to students lives outside of the classroom. The
classroom community will grow through fostering the values of effort, integrity,

Jillian Sommerville
March 17, 2015
perseverance, positivity, and community. The family atmosphere encourages
building up the whole student, involving the continuous development of grit.
Learning takes place and sticks when mistakes are made along the journey of trying
again and refusing to quit.
The ultimate foundation of the family is the relationships formed and
fostered. Once the relationships are formed, the learning will flourish through rich
learning experiences that motivate students with individual interests and
movement. Encouragement and positivity are the fuel that will keep my family
going strong, and when we fail, we will learn from our mistakes and grow stronger
together. Each learner and member of the family plays a different role that allows
the family to function as one unit. Both our strengths and weaknesses are essential
pieces of the family, and when each family members contributions are embraced,
our success will be launched to a whole new level. Together we, students and
teachers side-by-side, can do anything.