Melissa W.

Nelms
Western Governors University
Bachelor of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies (k-8)
Student #000274876
Philosophy of Teaching

What is Education?
I believe that education is much more than what is found within a textbook. Education is
preparation for life. As teachers, we must not only teach our students reading, mathematics,
science, and history. We must also model the behaviors and life skills that we want our students
to display for the rest of their lives. Teachers are constantly shaping the future in one way or
another. To accept the responsibility of becoming a teacher is a tremendous undertaking.
Teachers are entrusted with what parents consider their most precious gift. It is the teachers job
to provide a quality academic education, but also to shape the future of their students by teaching
them to be respectful, responsible, conscientious individuals.
What Should Education Be?
When I think about my future classroom, I see a very child friendly environment where
students learn to consider their teachers, classmates, and themselves as a family. My classroom
will be a learning environment where students have access to a variety of learning opportunities
and can learn the same material in a variety of ways. John C. Maxwell said, People must first
know that you care before they will care what you know. I feel that this quote is especially true
of the student teacher relationship. A good teacher builds relationships with her students and
their families. Creating an environment where students feel safe and comfortable and know that
their teacher cares about them is essential to providing a quality education. Keeping the lines of
communication open between home and school is important to building trust with parents of
students and forming the bonds that will be necessary as parents and teachers work together to
assure the success of their students.
Teachers must be ever vigilant to the overall well-being of their students. Ethical
practices must be in place to be sure that students are receiving the best educational opportunity
possible and that their rights as individuals are being respected. As a teacher, it will be my
responsibility to provide equal opportunities for my students regardless of individual needs.
When students require special accommodations to meet a physical, intellectual, or emotional
need, I will strive to meet those needs in a way that is respectful, adequate, and confidential.
How have these ideas shaped my objectives as a future teacher?
I am in a unique position as a future teacher because of my work experiences. For the
past seventeen years, I have been employed as an instructional assistant in an elementary school.
This experience has afforded me many opportunities for life experience in my chosen career. I
know firsthand how important it is to develop good relationships with students and their families

because I have done that. I have seen the difference that knowing teachers and other adults at
school care about them has made in the lives and academic successes of many children. I have
also learned what kind of teacher I do not want to be.
Elementary school classrooms must be engaging environments. I want my students to be
having such a good time and be so engaged in the lessons that they do not even realize they are
working and learning. Through the use of interactive technology such as the smart board, games,
and cooperative learning groups, my students will spend little time sitting still and more time
moving around and participating actively in their education. Students will be working at their
appropriate developmental levels so that they are able to be and feel successful.
I will address student behavior management through the use of a positive behavior
system. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on problems and develop a plan for
improvement. Conversely, I will also provide positive consequences to students for consistently
following classroom and school procedures appropriately. I do not feel that behavior
management plans need to be punitive in nature to be effective. I think it is important to
establish routines and provide frequent feedback, reminders, and opportunities to practice
appropriate procedures.
Student achievement is obviously measured by assessment. I believe that students should
play an active role in goal setting for growth. After each assessment, students should graph
scores with the teacher and discuss growth and progress towards the goal of mastery. As a
teacher, I will look for opportunities to praise my students for personal growth. Not all students
begin with the same potential or at the same level; therefore I think it is essential that I recognize
progress on the individual level. The third grader that started the year at a first grade reading
level and progressed to grade level by the end of the year has made two years worth of growth
and should be recognized for the hard work it took to achieve that milestone.

How Will All of These Ideas Contribute to the Preparation I Need to Achieve Success in the
Classroom?
PCE and Demonstration Teaching have allowed me to collaborate with experienced
teachers, learn from them, and practice the skills I have learned. I continued to to build upon the
philosophy I developed and grow as a teacher. These learning opportunities gave me the chance
to experiment with some of the ideas I have for teaching and classroom management, further
develop my data collection plans for measuring student achievement, and continue to gather new
ideas that I will utilize in my future classroom. I look forward to the opportunity to work and
learn from my mentors and gather the knowledge and experience necessary to become a highly
qualified teacher.