Jenny McKenzie
My Personal Philosophy of Education
My personal philosophy of education is to teach to create lifelong learners.
I strive to prepare my students to be successful in the real world. Education
provides the opportunity for one to be anything they want to be. Students need
to be exposed to the problems and introduced to the skills used to solve real
world problems. Teaching my students these skills will give them the ability to
relate to the real world. My students will learn many things that they will be able
to apply to their everyday life. Even when my students don’t know that they are
learning, they are learning in my classroom.
As an educator I teach my students how to function in the real world. I
help determine the future, by teaching the future. I teach life skills so that when
students go out into the world they are capable of making informed decisions. I
not only teach, but also nurture my students. You know that one student will
become president, we just don’t know which one that will be, and so I teach all of
them as though they are all going to be the next President of the United States.
I know as a teacher that all students can learn; however they learn
differently. I just have to discover which way is best for each of my students.
Learning styles will vary from student to student and class to class. Some students
are auditory learners, some are visual learners and some are kinetic learners. I
include strategies for all these things to be used when I am planning my lessons.
I observe and administer formal assessments throughout the year to help plan
effective strategies for individual instruction.
I have learned so much in the last year and a half in my Master’s program. I
have taught regular education for 16 years and decided to return to school to get
my Master’s in Collaborative Teacher K-6. My philosophy is that every child can
learn and that includes special needs students. I believe that every child can learn
in their own way. Through classes that I have taken I have learned that children
with disabilities have a right to learn like their peers. Through my classes I have
decided that this is my passion to help these students succeed. So many of these
students have fallen through the creaks and I want to be the filler of these creaks.
I want to provide what these students need to succeed. These students deserve
the best education possible and that is why after 16 years of teaching I have
decided to get my Master’s in Collaborative Teacher K-6. I can make a difference.
I was one of these students when I was in school and I want to provide an
education like I was provided so these students can succeed like me. I have a
Bachelor’s degree and soon will have a Master’s degree. Anything is possible for
these students.
My goals for my students are to teach them to love learning. I provide a
sound and solid foundation on which they can build. I teach the standards to
mastery. I provide a safe and fun environment for the students. I want and
expect my student to be able to work independently and cooperatively, as they
will in the real world.
I know that it takes everyone to create students who are lifelong learners. I
have heard many times “It takes a village to raise a child”. This is so true! It takes
support of all stakeholders to create a positive learning and growing environment
where students feel free to question, take risk, and succeed. I am a lifelong
learner; I actively practice and model what I teach for my students to see. I saw
this saying once “if we don’t model what we teach then we are teaching
something else.” As a teacher I make a difference in the lives of the students
whom I am fortunate enough to teach.