My philosophy begins with a desire to ensure equal availability of opportunities.

I feel all
students should be allowed to explore any option they wish to make their life long career. For some this
will be a four year degree from an accredited university, for others it may be eight or more years of
undergrad, law or medical training and residencies, and even for others a trade or craft where an
individual can learn a skill to be an asset to society. I believe in today's reality we can no longer be a
society so polarized by defining what continued education looks like; again whether that's in the
classroom or out in the field building trade skills and experience. This starts for me, being built in my
classroom. The most crucial for me moving forward is to make sure I’m using scientific and research
based practices. I have learned that I need to always be a critical consumer of studies, research, and
latest fads. I want to be using techniques that have years of research backing their results. For example
a few newer techniques, teaching styles, and instructional strategies I have learned throughout my
current teaching professional development and Masters courses are: visible learning, thinking maps,
explicit instruction, Anita Archer, and literacy coaching books The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide
and Becoming a Literacy Leader.
A teacher is meant to model, guide, and facilitate, and explicitly teach critical concepts. A
teacher initiates dialogue between students and themselves to deepen understanding. A teacher creates
opportunities for students to use what they know and provide tools for assistance to solve problems.
The teacher models best practices; for example thinking aloud, a reading strategy to show students
what they should be doing when they are reading for meaning. The teacher not only does these physical
things as she/he is teaching, but sets up the classroom to be a tool for the students to use. Having
materials available for students to be as independent as they can be. Showing and setting up routines
and structures for students so they feel comfortable exploring and finding an answer.
A student is meant to actively listen and participate. A student is meant to practice and work on
skills. They are to spend the time in school making sure they understand the concept or set of skills
being taught so when they are asked to do something later or in a different environment they know how
to get an answer. School is not supposed to be a passive activity; it is active and in my classroom I
make it as hands on and real worldly as I can.
My philosophical role as a literacy specialist is to help those classroom teachers set up the
environment, design that atmosphere allowing students to explore and be comfortable practicing key
skills. For example, if a group of students was to practice the think aloud strategy than I would make
cue cards (at level with pictures if needed), prompts to enable students to practice what specific
questions to ask as a reader. The small group would have the cue cards and maybe me sitting near them
to continue to model best practices. This would take place while other instruction was happening in the
general classroom and I would be in a small corner of the room or just outside the classroom;
depending on school set up and layout.