My Philosophy of Education

I have wanted to become a teacher for about twelve years now, and each year I come closer to that goal. Each year I learn more about best teaching practices and find ways to create the best classroom for my teaching practices and my students’ learning styles. Through my journey in this profession, along with my study and experience in the classroom, I have been able to focus on the most important aspect of being a teacher: The students. Being a French and English as a New Language teacher means being an advocate for these students in a constructivist student-centric classroom.

Students learn best in an environment where they feel comfortable and are not afraid to ask questions or approach the teacher. The teacher can create this low affective filter by setting the mood in the classroom as inviting and nonthreatening. This can be done by rearranging desks to better facilitate group work, having culturally relevant and authentic works hanging in the classroom, and the teacher constantly encouraging students. Creating this safe environment for the students fosters and facilitates their own learning.

Learning a second language can be very difficult and stressful for several students. With learning French, it is easy for students to question the value of each lesson and wonder why it is necessary to learn the language. There are several other standards in different content areas like English and Social Studies that can be met through the French classroom. It is the job of the French teacher to help students make these analogies to better their education. The teacher is there to help the students grow.

For English Language Learners (ELLs), a student may feel threatened by the implications of English in the school and feel that the school is discrediting the first language. The teacher not only needs to make sure that the student feels secure in learning English and keeping the first language, but the ENL teacher also has to be the example for the school in showing how using the first language can help the student with acquiring English.

Students in an ENL classroom will come from different backgrounds, different cultures, and different levels of English Language Proficiency. Students in a French classroom will acquire the language at different rates depending on the skills emphasized in each lesson. The teacher needs to make sure that all needs are being met and not just using a blanket method to get the majority of the bell curve. Using cooperative learning where students are encouraged to work in groups in class with assigned roles within the group yield to more language interaction and confidence in the materials. Using an inquiry-based lesson plan helps students participate in their own learning and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills in both the classroom and everyday life. This also helps develop the Zone of Proximal Development by having students help each other with their strengths and weaknesses.

Teaching both French and English as a New Language is completely dependent on the learners in the classroom at the time, and can change constantly. This constant change shows the importance of evaluating current practices and experimenting with the implementation of new practices in the classroom. Students need to be assessed with a variety of methods of formative, summative, formal, and informal assessments to show the growth and acquisition of each language skill. Students learn best when the teacher is constantly aware of the impact the lessons have on the students, and is open to feedback, critiques, and suggestions from students, colleagues, and administrators as far as what the best teaching practices are for the current students.

Like the development of this profession, I will continue to develop myself and my best teaching practices based off of my experiences and my beliefs. The students’ needs are and will remain my first priority while teaching, and their needs will be met by my teaching practices.



Want to see more of my education work? View My Digital Portfolio!

Networking Pays Off

Do you remember my freshman year where I made a big deal about how I felt like everyone else was partying and taking their time with college and I wasn't drawn to that scene? I always said that I started networking when I first stepped on campus. And now I know why, because today it paid off:

Emma,

 

My name is Phil and I am the principal at High School.  Long story short, your name was given to my French teacher by her BSU Prof as someone who might be interested in filling in during a maternity leave.

 

Jenna teaches French at High School and will be taking a maternity leave for approximately 6 weeks.  She is due any day and will be out until the second week of May give or take a day or two.  The person we had lined up has canceled on us and we are scrambling now to find a replacement.

 

Feel free to call us or e-mail if you prefer.  Please let me know if you are interested or not as soon as possible. 
[NOTE: e-mail was edited to protect identities and locations]

I haven't graduated yet, It's the middle of the semester, I've never even heard of the high school or principal or even teacher who works there! But because I made sure the French professors knew who I was and I made sure to stand out in my field, I was the name they referred to the high school.

Everything I've worked for, everything I've done, is now worth it. Even if for some reason I can't take the job (it's not exactly close to where I am now), the fact that it was offered to me just because of a reference (no application, no interview, etc) is pretty spectacular.

Pointless Post

On my daily blog, my post today was my 144th post.

I've been keeping this blog for two or three years longer and it only had 143 posts.

So I felt the need to create a post so that both blogs have 144 posts.

Of course I'm not going to update this one daily just so it's never behind my daily one, so that means tomorrow or the next day my daily blog will be ahead of this one for good.

Oh well.

I'm sure it'll happen eventually

On my other blog, the title of each post is the date. I have to continually check to make sure that I haven't put 2012 on any of my posts. I also have to remember if I write the day before the actual date, and if I put the cardinal indicator after the number. I've made 135 posts, almost as many as I have for this blog. I've been doing it for a month and a half straight, not to mention the times I was able to do it last year. I feel like these things should be cemented in my brain now and I don't know why they aren't haha