I believe that as a teacher it is my job to prepare my students for their future. The future, while it includes future classroom endeavors, extends far beyond anything I may teach them from a textbook.

I hope that through working with my students I will instill good educational practices. I want students to leave my classroom with the skills necessary to further themselves academically. It is my philosophy that the best way for students to learn is to become involved in what they are learning. My classroom will be an environment where students will learn by discovery. I believe that the answers to the student’s questions should not always be given, but investigated by the students themselves. There are many different methods and technologies which can be used to help students learn and discover. I plan to utilize as many as I can. Students will have opportunities to work with other students in the class, they will learn to navigate the internet, they will learn/use computer skills and use them to further their investigations, they will learn through lecture and discussion, they will learn through video, and  they will learn through demonstration and experimentation.  I don’t believe that it is beneficial or fair to use the same format or learning style for every lesson.  I recognize that all students learn differently and therefore it is vital that many styles be implemented, and if possible, to appeal to multiple learning styles in a single lesson.  I recognize that all students have the ability to learn if they have the desire to learn. I believe that through appealing to each student, I can make learning fun. I can make learning desirable.

As a teacher of students in their formative years, I know that learning goes far beyond the content of their classes. I am aware that students are learning about themselves and others. I hope to instill positive cooperative group skills that students will carry with them throughout their lives. Among these are collaboration, leadership, compromise, and patience.  I also hope that through working with their peers my students will acquire the fundamentals of acceptance and tolerance and respect.  Students will learn that they may not like everyone they will work with, and they will need to set aside differences to accomplish their tasks. That being said, I also hope that my student learn the value of their group members and can learn to see how each person brings both strengths and weaknesses to their groups.

Aside from cooperative learning, I hope that students learn the value of hard work and determination for themselves. I will be positive and encouraging with the hope that students will reflect these attributes. I will not give easy answers.  I will challenge my students to use these skills and their intelligence to come up with answers. I will do so with the hope that my students will learn a sense of pride and satisfaction. I believe that this kind of positive reinforcement is the best way to instill these positive attributes. Knowing that self-esteem is crucial to my students, I will also offer various forms of positive reinforcement.  Good behavior and hard work will be rewarded with extra credit points, homework passes, prizes, and classroom celebrations all at my discretion.

I recognize that as a science teacher, there are certain skills that I must teach to my students in order for them to be successful in their future endeavors. They will teach them knowledge of scientific instruments which will enhance their learning. I believe that I can further advance these skills by introducing them to all the technological innovations which are advancing science. I understand that technology is an integral part of scientific instruction and is necessary to the student’s success. I want my students to develop their creativity and analytical skills so that they can think beyond memorizing terms and can become effective problem solvers. I hope that I can help my students discover how much fun science is and that I can instill in them a love of science that will last throughout their lifetime.