Teaching Philosophy

Friends and strangers alike often ask me why I resigned from a successful corporate job in healthcare after completing graduate school and working in the industry for 10+ years. I respond I found my passion and purposeful meaningful work in devoting my life to children. I had a deep knowledge of the importance that comes from being around children, observing them, asking questions, and staying curious. There is so much joy, laughter, special moments, and magic that make this profession of an early childhood education teacher one of my favorite parts of life.

 

I would describe my role as a teacher as one of great honor. I aim to be the most safe, loving and nurturing woman I can be for these amazing, bright children. My role is to teach them to trust by being sensitive and responsive to their needs. My role is to play and have fun in a stimulating environment that sparks their imagination.

 

I decided to become a teacher when I realized that I needed to invest in youth in order to live a fulfilled life. I find myself naturally gravitating toward toddlerhood, ages one to three years old. Children this age offer unconditional love and acceptance, curiosity and excitement. I feel this age is the best for me because I have a great deal of patience, compassion and creativity.

 

Children in the one- to three-year-old age groups need unlimited outdoor play and explorative open ended indoor play. Developmentally they are primed to ask questions about how things work, what different items are, what things do, etc. These children learn exponentially through play and repetition and we cater to those needs in our program setting.

 

My approach to teaching is influenced by the theories of Bowlby, Ainsworth and Piaget. Bowlby and Ainsworth place emphasis on the unique and critically important relationship between a child and his or her caregivers. These attachment theorists highlight that when a child feels safe and secure within their primary relationships that the child is more likely to succeed.  Piaget focuses on the importance of providing children with active exploratory learning opportunities to develop their cognitive abilities. I draw from his philosophies and incorporate it into my teaching by staying curious around children and asking open ended questions to see how they organize their thoughts and how those thoughts translate to their play.

 

The most important strategy that I incorporate to my program is to slow down and continue to study how children learn with curiosity. I intentionally do not interrupt or correct their actions when they are engaged so that I can have a deeper understanding of how and why they behave the way they do.

 

Professional ethics guide my work with children and families by providing fair, clearly identified expectations and treatment for all. I aim to treat everyone with dignity and respect, no matter their age, status, social history, culture, etc. I pride myself on appreciating the complexity of children and the important role they have in their family and the greater community.

 

My future goals include opening an early childhood education center that serves our community while providing a robust, fun and safe program for children. When I envision my childcare center, it has a strong focus on the whole-child, actively engaging parents, teachers, and community members to fully support the child and increase development opportunities.