This is my educational philosophy that I wrote in ED105.

          What is the role of an educator? An educator is somebody who helps students learn in ways that will strongly benefit them and somebody who is a mentor, a teacher, and a friend to students. An educator is somebody who does not just teach a curriculum, but somebody who teaches morals, manners and skills used in a normal day. I will incorporate all of these characteristics in to the way I teach.
          My teaching style and philosophy aligns with that of a constructivist and a progressivist. I value the importance on hands-on activities, and I believe that students are most successful when they are encroached in hands-on learning. For example, teaching kindergarten students about how flowers grow can be a tedious and unsuccessful task. To make this lesson successful, I can bring in seeds to have the students plant. Over the course of a few weeks, my students can watch as the flowers sprout and grow. Hands-on learning is the best approach to teaching because it directly shows or explains something to students. Reading from a textbook or watching a PowerPoint presentation is very different from witnessing a lesson “in motion”.  
          In addition to this, I believe that it is very important for students to develop their own frames of thought. I should not be asking all of the questions to my students. Instead, they should want to ask me questions about issues and ideas that they may be pondering upon. Even in a kindergarten classroom with very young students, I will be a facilitator more than an instructor. In addition to students forming their own frames of thought, I will encourage them to engage in critical thinking. This allows students to learn how to question their understanding about a topic. It is very important for students to think deeper about something instead of just looking at it at the surface level. An example that I can use to get my students to think deeper is during a holiday, like the 4th of July. I can read books to them and discuss with my students what the 4th of July is and how we celebrate it, but I would also want them to engage in deeper thinking, such as why we celebrate this holiday or what America was like before this holiday was created. Deeper thinking leads to the development of understanding.
          I think it is crucial to have a classroom where children feel confident and safe. The best type of classroom is one that is open to new ideas and opinions of students without the risk of them being judged or laughed at by other students. As a teacher, I will make and enforce a safe environment with all of my students. Bullying will not be tolerated and I will monitor students closely to eliminate all unsafe environments between children. When a students does not feel safe, they will not want to learn or participate in discussions within the classroom in fear of being judged. Therefore, my students must feel safe. 
         Discipline is a necessary part of a kindergarten classroom, and my approach to this is a mix between the two philosophies in which I align. I believe that discipline rules should be developed by the learners through dialogue and debate. At the beginning of the year my classroom will make a poster of our rules, and the students will be able to give their own inputs and ideas. This is important because all students contribute to the discussion of rules, and this makes all students aware of the rules and expectations. It is also crucial that students in my classroom recognize that everything we do or say can affect others, and this goes back to the importance of everyone feeling safe and confident while inside the classroom. If a student says something disrespectful to another classmate, I will make him or her approach the student, apologize, and then together we will brainstorm a strategy of some better words to use or a better way to handle the situation. All students in my classroom, with no exceptions, will be expected to follow all rules and expectations.  
         Standardized assessments obviously need to be used in some cases, but they should not be the only form to assess the students’ progress. Standardized tests should be used very little or perhaps not at all, because I believe that they are not an accurate result of the student. Some students are just not good test takers, and therefore their results will show that they are struggling with a concept, even if this is not the case at all. I also feel that tests are all about memorization. If a student can memorize a mass amount of information, there is a good chance that the student will do decent on a test. However, is the student actually learning and obtaining the information? As an early childhood education teacher, I will strive to use other forms of assessment than just a written test. Some of these include speaking exams, group and individual projects, observations, interviews with the students, and portfolios that the students create. These will show a wide range of the students’ strengths and weaknesses that may not really be obtainable through standardized tests. 
          I have one main goal for all of my students: for them to be successful. All students learn at a different level and pace, and therefore their success will be different. However, I want all of my students to grow throughout the year and to ultimately learn as much as they can. A crucial age of development for children is around four to six years old, so this is the age when I will be able to influence them the most to want to learn and obtain new information, as well as to just generally enjoy school. I want my students to feel excited about learning and take in every opportunity that they can. I want my students to view school as being fun, and I hope that I will be able to assist them in this process through my teaching, guidance, and motivation. 
          Being a teacher is such an important role in society. An educator is somebody who students can come to as a mentor, a teacher, or a friend. With aligning myself with characteristics of a progressivist and a constructivist, I will be able to be very successful in teaching my students through a variety of hands-on activities while stressing on the importance of discipline. Students in my classroom will develop their own frames of thought, and they will know that they are safe and will not be judged for opening up and sharing their opinion with the rest of the class. In addition, since standardized tests are not an accurate depiction of students’ success, I will stray away from relying on these types of tests. Finally, I will work individually with each student in order for each one to be successful. I hope that through my teaching, I will positively impact my students’ lives.