Running Head: MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 1

My Teaching philosophy

Berenice Tellez

California State University Dominguez Hills

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Teaching Philosophy

I come from parents who were born in Mexico and never got the opportunity to foster in their

education because they lived in poverty. My parents had to work at a very young age to help

their families survive and till this day they do the same. My parents have always encouraged me

to take opportunities and do well in my education. Because they did not finish school they push

me to do it so I do not end up like them, they say. I look at my parents and I see two kids who

couldn't make it in school because of their low socio-economic status and because of them I want

to be a teacher. I strongly believe education is for everyone and no one or anything should take

away that right. I want to be a teacher to change our children's future for the better and lead them

towards academic success. I want to be a transformative teacher by getting to know each of my

students to build a strong relationship with them and encourage them to learn and take

opportunities. I want to a be a transformative teacher who creates student-centered learning to

promote growth in their learning. I want to build from their funds of knowledge to help them

relate to their education. I want to promote equity in my classroom and make sure that there is

inclusion.

Vision

It is very important to understand our students to help them learn and improve. As a

teacher in my classroom I hope to be a role model and a motivator for my students. I want to

inspire my students to be passionate about their education and want to learn, not because they

must but because they want to. My vision is to further improve on a progressive mindset for

human development, implement culture in our education, understand youth complexity, and

build strong relationships with my students. My vision is to redefine the role of a teacher to

better understand my students. I want my students to always feel welcomed in our classroom and
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it is my vision to create a safe space for them. I want to teach them the importance of being

respectful and listening to our peers when they are sharing their thoughts; I want them to know

that their voice matters. As a teacher, I want to be culturally responsive and I want to create a

safe place for my students to be themselves in a judgement free zone. I want my students to learn

about the different cultures in our classroom and know that having different backgrounds does

not make us different and I want them to see how similar they are. My vision is to create a

classroom where we celebrate and embrace all our cultures and implement it in my curriculum to

involve their cultures, family, community, and life experiences.

Mission

As a future professional educator, I envision myself achieving my vision by being patient

and willing to learn alongside my students. I will grow with them as they learn from me I will

learn from them. As a teacher, I must be open-minded and open to constructive criticism to

improve. Effective teaching means to understand that not all students learn the same, they are

diverse, and not all identify English as their first language. I will modify my lessons to fit the

needs of my students, especially emergent bilinguals because they need extra support and I will

make necessary accommodations to lead them towards success in the classroom. I want to create

an equitable classroom by providing the necessary tools and resources for each student to

succeed in school. Native American educator Cornel Pwewardy (1993), “asserts that one of the

reasons Indian Children experience difficulty in schools is that educators traditionally have

attempted to insert culture into the education system, instead of inserting education into the

culture.” It is very important that teachers embrace a student’s culture instead of neglecting it.

Teachers that have students with different languages and abilities must have strategies to help

their students learn that both engages their language and different abilities. (Judith Taack Lanier,
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1997) A teacher’s most important role, “…is to get to know each student as an individual to

comprehend his or her unique needs, learning style, social and cultural background, interests, and

abilities.” I want to inspire my students to learn and grow in their education to be the best they

can be.

Conclusion

A future educator is a leader and role model in the education system. My mission and my

vision will make me a transformative teacher because I care about education and the need for it.

With my knowledgeable guidance I will lead my students to success and hope to leave a lasting

inspiring impression on them and the community.

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References

Commission on Teacher Credentialing October 2009. (n.d). Retrieved May 18, 2017, from
http://www.ctc.ca.gov

Ladson-Billings, G. (n.d.). But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case For Culturally Relevant
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10, 2. E. (2014, July 07). What do you hope to accomplish as a Teacher? Retrieved May 18,
2017, from https://homeroomteacher.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/why-a-teacher-pt-4/

Lanier, J. T. (1997, July 01). Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It's a Multifaceted Profession.
Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/redefining-role-teacher

Finley, T. (2016, April 05). 19 Big and Small Classroom Management Strategies. Retrieved May
18, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-
todd-finley