Lily Kennett

Philosophy of Teaching
SPED 496M
A teacher affects eternity, he can never tell where his influence stops. Henry Adams. Since the day these words entered my brain, this concept has stuck
with me and continually influenced my views about teaching. I had so many
incredible teachers throughout my education that taught me specific values,
concepts, and information I will carry with me forever. In a certain sense, those
teachers were the ones who invested their time, care, and knowledge in me as a
student. It is my hope that I am able to pass these aspects of life on to my students in
the future; I want to continue investing my care, time, and knowledge in others. I
hope my future students will continue to invest their expertise in the lives of other
people they encounter as well. The influence of teaching truly never stops.
One belief that I hold as an aspiring Special Education teacher is that every
student should be seen as an individual. No two people are the same regardless of
race, religion, disability, gender, sexuality or age. Every student deserves to be
acknowledged as an individual with unique needs, characteristics, and learning
styles. It is my goal as a teacher to make sure each students needs are addressed as
an individual, especially those with disabilities. I want each student who has an IEP
to achieve a higher level of success because of the unique goals set for them with
their parents, teachers, and other supporters.
I believe that all students can learn in an inclusive learning setting. Inclusion
allows students with disabilities to interact and socialize with their peers who do
not have disabilities. Social development occurs between both parties; everyone

learns how to interact with people who are different than themselves. These
interactions prepare students for participation in our communities. I do believe that
with appropriate support, accommodations, instructional strategies, curricular
adaptations, and behavior strategies that many students can flourish in the general
education classroom.
I believe that there are multiple intelligences or what I consider personal
strengths. We live in a time that discusses intelligence frequently. We often
operate on a fairly restricted means based off of verbal and quantitative measures of
the schoolroom and IQ tests. I do see validity in the use of IQ tests to aid
professionals in identifying children with disabilities, but I dont think IQ tests
illuminate the strengths that children have. Howard Gardener believes that there
are 8 specific areas that qualify as intelligences: spatial, linguistic, logicalmathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and
naturalistic. I agree with him that there are numerous areas regarding intelligence,
although I think it could be expanded beyond those 8 areas of criteria. As teachers
we need to get rid of the biases that may have accumulated from test scores and
recognize that intelligences differ among all students, not just those with disabilities.
It is our job as educators to find these strengths or intelligences that each student
possesses. If we are able to do this, we can utilize these strengths when adapting
assignments or curriculum.
In conclusion, it is my hope that I am able to invest in my future students. I
believe that they will continue to influence the lives of other people with the
knowledge they gain from their education, whatever it may be. I believe students

should be seen as individuals first and foremost. When we see students with
disabilities as individuals we are better able to help set goals for them to
successfully reach. I believe that inclusion fosters positive peer interactions among
all students. Students with disabilities can flourish in the general education
environment given appropriate supports. I also believe that all students can learn;
every student has intelligence in one area or another. It is our job as teachers to
identify the strengths or intelligences that our students have and utilize them in
our classrooms.