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Teacher's Info:  

Educational Philosophy:

 Getting accepted into Illinois State University’s Elementary Education Program was such an exciting day for me. I have always wanted to teach and my goal has always been to earn my degree through their program. Although teaching is the career path I am on, there is always room for improvement. After going through the different virtues, both moral and intellectual, I picked the three that I would like to focus on. There is always going to be diversity both inside and outside of schools. I want to learn various ways on how to educate students on this diversity. I also want to learn different strategies that are going to be effective for every student. I hope to grow in the enthusiasm and love I have for teaching. I want students to enjoy coming to school just as much as I do.

 One moral virtue that I would like to focus on is the sensitivity toward the varieties of individual and cultural diversity. As I begin my way through the education program, I want to focus on the best and most efficient ways to meet each and every student’s needs. I have always felt that education is not education unless each individual has their needs met. One of my goals is to become more informed on different cultures and individuals I might have in my future classroom. This can be achieved through research and experience in different class settings. Classrooms are becoming more diverse, and this is a trend that is likely to continue. By becoming more educated on this idea, I feel I will be able to present the curriculum to the students in ways that will be beneficial to their growth and development. This leads me to my next virtue that I would like to continue to strengthen.

 Another virtue I felt was important to strengthen was the understanding of what affects learning and of appropriate teaching strategies. I would like to learn more in depth about the different teaching strategies, because this will be an important factor in the students learning. I want to have a variety of ways to educate each child, so they have a better chance of understanding the information. There are going to be many different learners in the classroom and I want to have a wide variety of teaching strategies to be able to use with them.

 My last virtue that I would really like to focus on is contagious intellectual enthusiasm and courage enough to be creative. I have always felt that in order to be a good teacher, you must be creative. I feel I have this characteristic, but you can never be too creative. I want to be able to encourage and get my students excited about school. I want to create a learning environment they enjoy being in. My focus during the program is not only on the information the instructors are giving me, but also how the instructors are presenting it. A great way to learn is by learning from others. Observing in different classrooms will allow me to see each teacher’s unique strategies. It will also allow me to observe the different setups in the classrooms and what the students like and dislike about them.

 Becoming a teacher is not just about teaching to the children, it is also about learning from them as well. I hope that through this program I will learn to meet each of their needs and encourage them to continue growing intellectually and socially. I feel very confident in achieving my goals through Illinois State’s Education Program.

Contact Ms. Sams with any questions at lmsams@ilstu.edu