Teaching Philosophy

When I think of what kind of teacher I want to be, one word comes to mind: love. Despite all the negativity that arises from working in public education, I believe loving one’s students and profession is essential. This thinking is fueled by a video I recently saw online, in which a Kindergarten teacher shared how she responds when a student refuses to do any work. When this occurs, the teacher privately asks the student, "What do you need to get started? What's going on?" These questions stem from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (see below image). If the teacher can pinpoint a specific need the student has and if she can fill in that void, the student is much more likely to become intrinsically motivated and choose to complete the work. This scenario makes sense too; no student wants to be difficult for the sake of being difficult. Somewhere along the way, something is missing in that student's life, whether it be shelter, food, security, love, attention, or respect. I think the care and communication shown from this action will provide an overall sense of love, which does not mean ignoring mistakes or never getting frustrated. Love means appreciating the humanity of the students in our classrooms. In the future, when a student misbehaves, I hope my first response can be rooted in love and not anger. In fact, I hope all my responses to all situations will be rooted in love and the desire for my students to feel loved. 

 

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