In order to become a great teacher, one must have a strong philosophy to follow.

I believe
that a good teaching philosophy is shaped by what influences a child. Children are mainly shaped
by their parents and educators and as role models for children, we must play an active role in
their lives while maintaining solid ethics. My philosophy is that as educators, we must follow an
ethical code that helps each child learn by doing a variety of assessments and observations to
help find the best way for them succeed. This can be accomplished by having the parents and
teachers provide a successful learning environment.
I believe that the most important factor in a childs learning is Urie Bronfenbrenners
microsystem, which includes a childs parents and any other immediate relationships that the
childs has in their life. Oswalt (2008), states that the way the family interact[s] with the child
will have an effect on how the child grows; the more encouraging and nurturing these
relationships and places are, the better the child will be able to grow (par. 4.). According to the
above statement, it is crucial for the parents to have a positive interaction with their child. I
believe there are many ways to get the parents to be actively involved in their childs learning by
having a variety of classroom activities for the family to participate in. For example, there could
be assignments for the student to read with a parent every night. I also could invite parents to
field trips, have parents come in to host holiday parties, or have a career day. If the parents are
not supportive of the students learning outside the classroom, the student can easily get
discouraged and start to not try as hard. That is why trying to get the parents involved in the
students learning is so important.
In addition to the support of parents, I believe that the role of the educator plays the
second most significant role in a students learning. Every child deserves a champion an adult
who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they

become the best that they can possibly be (Pierson, 2015, par. 33). This quote fits so well as our
role as educators. It is our job to never give up on the child no matter if we make mistakes along
the way. We need to show children that they each are an important part of this big world. All they
need do is be the best that they can be and thrive to learn and to reach for their dreams. This
process can all be started with the dedication of any early childhood educator trying to fill their
roles at the best of their ability.
In order for an early childhood educator be the best educator that they can be, they must
realize that all children learn differently. Howard Gardner was able to put these learning styles
into eight categories. They are linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, body-kinesthetic,
musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. Dr. Gardner allowed us to be one step closer
in answering the question, How do children learn. Dr. Gardner says that our schools and
culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence, (the
traditional classroom), (Armstrong, T., par. 1). Our schools are now changing to not just teach to
the writers and economist, but to include the dancers, architects, musicians and wild life
preservers. As educators we must adapt to this change and help it progress to help each child
reach their full potential. To be adaptable educators, we must try to find new alternative ways to
help the child see the subject matter in a new light.
In order to have the children reach their full potential, we educators must do assessments
on the childs learning. These assessments and observations help not only benefit me in seeing
where I can take the next step in the learning process, but it benefits the children and their
parents. The children benefit from assessment by allowing me to see where they are in their
development and learning in order to get them from point A to point B. It allows me to make sure
none of the children get behind or are struggling. Assessment helps the parents by seeing where

their child is compared to the other students in the classroom. The parents then can become part
of my team and help me get their child from point A to point B. In order to do accomplish this
never ending goal, I must make assessment a crucial part of my classroom and communicate
with my teammates.
In order for any of my philosophy to be successful, a strong code of ethics must be at its
foundation. As a building needs a strong foundation to support its load, an educator must have a
strong ethical code to make decisions by. I believe that the ethics laid out by the National
Education Association are a great foundation for any teacher. Their ethics consist of two
principles, commitment to the profession and commitment to the children. Under these principles
there is a list of variety of items I will not do in order to be a successful, respected, trusted, and
dedicated teacher. These items are important for students, families, colleagues and the
community to see what they can expect from me. I want to be able to show the children, families,
colleagues, and the community my commitment to my professional career.
To become a great teacher I will need to remember my philosophy that as educators we
much follow an ethical code that helps each child learn by doing a variety of assessments and
observations to help find the best way for them succeed. I must strive to get parents involved in
their childs learning and find exciting ways to keep both the parents and the student engaged in
the learning. I will need to assess and observe to my students to find the best way to teach them
to help them be the best that they can be. I must also remember to follow the ethical codes laid
out by the National Education Association. The most important thing is to help the child succeed
by using the tools that I have and using the parents as additional resources to promote the
importance of a great education.

References
Armstrong, T. (n.d.). Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved September 21, 2016, from
http://www.institute4learning.com/multiple_intelligences.php
Oswalt, A. (2008, January 17). Urie Bronfenbrenner and Child Development. Retrieved
September 28, 2016, from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/urie-bronfenbrenner-andchild-development/
S. (2015, April 22). The 100 Greatest Education Quotes [Web log post]. Retrieved September 21,
2016, from http://www.earlychildhoodeducationzone.com/quotes-about-education/