Philosophy of Education Education is the most influential profession a person can choose to enter and requires a tremendous amount

of responsibility. Every student should be taught in a way that meets his/her individual educational needs. This includes academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides guidelines for providing academic access for all students, while Differentiated Instruction (DI) guides the modes of instruction teachers must consider when planning lessons. Teachers should build a relationship with each student so s/he knows when a students needs are not being met in the general education classroom. Teachers must follow the Response to Intervention (RtI) model to teach through general, targeting and intense instruction. It is important to have a diverse classroom of needs and cultures so that students experience socializing, learning, and working with a variety of people before they reach post-secondary life and are required to have these skills in order to succeed. This should also include students who have disabilities that require more individualized instruction than what the general education classroom alone can provide for certain academics, behaviors, and/or life skills. This is where special education comes in and where my passion lies. Teaching students with special needs and building relationships with them and their families is a privilege. Being a special education teacher is not a one-person job. It requires a team of specialists, professionals, people who care, and family members that can effectively communicate and work together to meet the needs of each child. The team must use a variety of strategies, tools, curriculum, and environments to create an individualized program that sets each student up for success in life, keeping in mind that success in life is different for each student. My special education classroom will provide a variety of environments for students. I will have work stations for independent work and small group sessions. Each work station will look slightly different to meet individual sensory and attention needs. One work station will have nothing around it while others will have academia-focused items such as a word wall, a living math wall where students can manipulate items for math lessons, and a place to post students work and achievements. There will be a mini-library that includes a variety of multileveled resources, topics, and subjects. If needed, lamps will be used for sensory issues. My classroom will also include a sensory area for needs such as pressure, textures, or quiet time. My goal as a special education teacher is to provide a welcoming atmosphere for students, staff, and family volunteers to share their talents, cultures and backgrounds. Students and staff will be encouraged to learn each students strengths and to be creative with strategies and tools for students to work through and/or overcome their weaknesses. It is also important that staff be educated around the laws of special education that impact them and to provide guidelines regarding their roles in the classroom. Our procedures and routines will focus on being proactive. I hope to create an atmosphere where students and staff feel safe and learn how to appropriately advocate for themselves and each other. I once heard someone talk about a room in their school that was called The Filling Station. It was a room where students could go to experience a different learning environment and to receive individual learning opportunities in a way they could relate and enjoy. My special education classroom will be a filling station for each of my students.