I believe that the purpose of education is to form the whole person. As Aristotle says, "Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all."
As a teacher, I am aware that I will not be teaching only math, but who I am. This means being a positive role model and walking-the-walk in my own pursuit virtue. Education reaches far past the walls of the classroom. I strive to help students learn to look at the world through a lens of an educated mind and heart. This means my students are able to think critically and logically in the joyful pursuit of truth and being able to see themselves more clearly and in turn, seeing others more clearly. I believe in the power of a growth mindset in the classroom. I strive to instill in my students that the word "can't" becomes a "not yet" and that my students learn to believe in themselves as much or more than I believe in them! I will treat all my students fairly, not meaning that all my students getting the same thing, but each getting what they need to be successful. I hope that this inspires in them a love for life-long learning! It is my mission that when students enter my classroom, they know they enter a welcoming and safe learning environment. I plan to build and earn trust with my students by getting to know them and letting them get to know me, in and outside the walls of the classroom. We do not trust people we do not know. Collaboration is essential to learning and that in learning math. I will provide my students with time to work with each other and that they learn to better trust one another by getting to know them. I hope that they too can learn what it means to work well together for a common purpose. In addition, I hope my students leave my class learning how to fail well. Mathematics is a great training ground for making mistakes and learning from them. Failure is bound to happen in life, and I hope to instill in my students an attitude of grit and perseverance in the face of difficulty. |
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