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Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Philosophy of Teaching Statement 

Chelette Pye

As an educator, my professional responsibility is to uphold my ethical obligations to children and their families. Ensure that each child's culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued. I will respect everyone's family structure's uniqueness by not having biased opinions. For example, I may have a child who does not have a traditional family that consists of a mother and a father. I would also educate myself on the child's cultural beliefs. For example, I may have a child who is not allowed to eat pork because of their religious beliefs. I will uphold my ethical responsibilities to families by developing relationships of mutual trust and creating partnerships. We have a common interest in the child's well-being and acknowledge a primary responsibility to bring about communication, cooperation, and collaboration between the home and early childhood program in ways that enhance the child's development.

As an educator of young children, I must make sure the child is receiving the absolute best education. I can achieve this goal through observation and assessments. Observing, documenting, and assessing each child's development and learning are essential for educators and programs to plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of the experiences they provide to children (NAYEC 2020). Observation and assessment practices are the foundation of everything we do as educators. When observing, I will learn the children's interests, preferred learning styles, what they can do, and how to plan activities that meet their needs. I will use the appropriate form of assessment to collect information. For example, track children's ongoing developmental progress.

I would use all the above information to create activities that positively influence a child's development. Create a structured environment with routines and schedules. This gives children a sense of security in their environment. This will lead to confidence, happiness, and good behavior. Uncertainty about what will happen or what to do can cause anxiety that produces bad behavior or leaves an opening for children to get distracted and create disruptions. A visual schedule, reinforced daily, helps children to keep their minds on what to do next. This will help them to stay focused during transition times. And routines help guide kids through their daily actions in fun and memorable ways that get them excited to do what is asked of them, whether it is eating lunch or putting away toys. Set clear expectations for behavior. When children know what good behavior means, it is easy to follow the rules. Unclear expectations can lead to uncertainty and anxiety. Children are still learning what good behavior means, so they need lots of specifics: "be kind to others" might be too abstract for toddlers, but "let everyone take turns" refers to a real action they can take and which you can measure objectively. At the same time, you will want to keep kids from overloading them with so many specific rules that they can only remember some of them. Strike an age-appropriate balance between generality and specificity and help kids along by giving them concrete examples and visual aids.

Encourage good behavior with praise and positive attention. Children need to know that doing their best will be rewarded. Positive feedback shows them that good behavior benefits them too. Plus, it helps them learn what good behavior looks like in practice by providing examples they can build into a mental model of good conduct. lookout for children who are cooperating, helping, taking the initiative, and working to improve their behavior, and be ready with a smile or a "good job." Best of all, try to offer specific praise that acknowledges the child's efforts, this makes them eager to please you again. All three positive behavior guidance techniques mentioned above are developmentally appropriate for children ages birth to 8. Implementing developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive practices is important because these strategies will help initiate sustainable relationships and nurture classrooms where all children are valued and have opportunities to grow and develop. A core consideration in developmentally appropriate practice and cultural responsiveness is that practitioners learn about each child and family and intentionally adapt and respond to each child's strengths and needs (NAECY,2016).

The important aspect of designing a curriculum consists of plans providing learning experiences in which children acquire knowledge, skills, abilities, and understanding. The curriculum helps young children achieve meaningful goals in developmentally appropriate practice because they are culturally responsive and significant. The curriculum does this through learning experiences that reflect what is known about young children. A well-designed developmentally and culturally relevant curriculum avoids and counters cultural or individual bias or stereotypes and fosters a cheerful learning disposition in each curriculum area and each child. As an educator, I will consider what children expect, understand, and be able to do across all developmental and subject or content areas, including language, literacy, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, physical education, and health. I would develop a curriculum that targets learning goals and early learning standards. I would engage with the children's families, including them in their child's education and development. I would use up-to-date resources from experts to ensure that curriculum content is accurate and comprehensive. They can do this best when they are effectively supported by the early learning settings in which they work and when they and their wider communities embrace diversity and full inclusion as strengths, uphold fundamental principles of fairness and justice and work to eliminate structural inequities that limit equitable learning opportunities (NAEYC,2019) I agree with this statement that all children have the right to equitable learning opportunities. Regardless of who they are or where they come from. I must advocate for my community's early childhood education programs because technology is advancing. Our preschools can benefit from the new technology—especially our English language learners. As an advocate, I could research grants to help provide the latest technology we need. References 

Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment - NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/Ethics%20Position%20Statement2011_09202013update.pdf 

 

DAP: Observing, Documenting, and Assessing Children’s ... - NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/assessing-development 

 

10 Early Childhood Behavior Management Strategies | Procare. https://www.procaresoftware.com/resources/10-early-childhood-behavior-management-strategies/ 

Culturally Responsive Strategies to Support Young Children with ... - NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2016/culturally-responsive-strategies 

 

Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education Position Statement. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/equity