Philosophy of Education

Starting at the age of six or seven, I remember waking up to the sound of aparticular bird song. I never knew where exactly it was coming from or whatthe bird looked like until one day, I was walking outside, I heard the song, andI looked up to catch a glimpse of a Black­capped Chickadee. The smalldiscovery of matching the song to a specific bird in action remains a vividmemory for me, even years later. At some point, I could have looked up aBlack­capped Chickadee on the Internet, heard a digital recording of it'ssongs, and realized it was the bird that came to represent home for me; insteadthere was more of an exploration and discovery process. Even as a kid, a part

of me knew that experiencing knowledge, discovering it, and seeing it in action surrounded by complexity was the wayI learned best. There was an inevitable richness to it.

My philosophy of education includes:

1 ­ Teaching in a way that provides a discovery process in which each student has agency and the ability toexperience knowledge happening.

2 ­ Using a strength­based approach to teach, to focus on what students have to build upon instead of only on howthey have been categorized as deficient.

3 ­ Student­centered and constructivist pedagogy: Focusing on the specific needs of students and listening to what students say they need Providing the opportunity to build on prior knowledge and make meaning for oneself Encouraging students to express knowledge in a variety of ways, make connections, and collaborate with

others Emphasizing the importance of asking questions and creating a safe space for students to voice their thoughts,

confusions, and insights so that discussions are grounded in what they have to say about the material.Furthermore, by showing that questions have intellectual value, I hope to encourage students to take their ownthinking and learning more seriously.

4 ­ Valuing visibility and relevancy: I focus on making material culturally relevant and authentically connected to the lives of my students. This also

means that I work hard to be inclusive, to not make anyone feel invisible, and to be patient as well asunderstanding with students. I want everyone to feel safe, welcomed, and appreciated in my classroom, whichincludes embracing unique interests, gifts, and learning styles, as well as being critical of sexism, racism, colorblindness, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, sizeism, religious prejudices, ageism, or essentialismtaking place in any space. This does not mean that I push certain politics onto my students or co­workers; itmeans that my treatment of others is inevitably influenced by an attention to the dignity and respect everyonehas a right to.

5 ­ Treating students with trust: I trust what other people say their experience is If a student is being dishonest, I address the situation with maturity and never in a demeaning manner.

6 ­ Valuing individual journeys in learning and risk­taking: I give students the opportunity to go their own way with the material, either individually or collaboratively, as

an extension of their construction of knowledge. I also encourage students to be risk­takers in theireducational endeavors and to test out their ideas or understandings in the classroom, in preparation forreal­world problems and settings.