Esther Brandon Teaching Philosophy I believe that students who are given the chance to be creative, literate and

engaged are able to interact cooperatively with others to problem solve. My goal is to help students expand their knowledge base and transform their opinions while learning more about themselves. Education and critical thinking I firmly believe that all students can achieve success. Approaching lessons with multiple and different learning styles will help enhance the material for all students. Teaching allows me to challenge students expectations and help them develop critical thinking skills. Inquiry and problem solving are the tools I will use to convey information, rather than simple memorization and repetition. By discovering facts and making connections between class material themselves, I believe students will learn and absorb the information effectively, as well as absorb critical thinking methods and strategies. Every student has a right to pursue personal beliefs, interests, and foster intellectual growth. Through inquiry learning, I will engage students in a way which allows them to reimagine society and to feel empowered about their choices. Literature Literature from around the world inspires students to ask questions, explore nature of humanity, and reimage their role in society. I aim to teach meaningful and relevant literature, which will help students gain understanding into their own lives and culture. Students will explore literature in the context of history and culture, and bring those lessons into modern understanding. My classroom will be an environment of creative thought and exploration of themes. Classroom I will create a safe classroom, with an atmosphere of respect. Students should feel comfortable enough to ask difficult questions, be free to explore ideas and experiences, and have their work be thoughtfully critiqued. My classroom will be inclusive for sharing diverse perspectives, without judgment, which I believe will enhance the class material beyond the lesson place. I hope education will teach students to accept both physical and philosophical differences among their classmates, which help empower them with the tools they will need to shape a better world.

Global Community Teachers need to prepare students to be responsible citizens in the local and global community. Children and young adults are the hope for the future, and I want to help them to become compassionate, critical thinkers. I hope to instill the need to make a positive difference in their community. I believe students must learn in and outside the classroom, and both are important for the growth and development of well-rounded individuals.