My teaching philosophy is centered on creating a classroom where all my students feel they belong, are cared for, and can achieve anything they put their minds to. I'm passionate about creating an environment where my students can feel comfortable and safe expressing themselves, sharing their beliefs, customs, and experiences, asking questions, and, most importantly, feel worthy and empowered to achieve their life goals and dreams. I think daily affirmations are extremely significant and meaningful for building confidence throughout the day. Creating a strong connection with my students is extremely valuable to me because it will help me gain their trust and enable me to guide them in anything they're trying to do in life. I believe that building an education that my students can look forward to will help me engage them in the most important years of their educational journey. During learning, students will experience different variations of scaffolding, which is also extremely important to me because it allows me to differentiate between my students and try different tactics and skills that will help me meet each of my students' needs and guide them. I’m committed to creating engaging lesson plans and meaningful learning experiences that are relevant to my students’ lives, that promote their curiosity, and encourage critical thinking skills. I view teaching as a teamwork effort between the teacher, student, and parent, in which we’re all collaborating and working cooperatively to help the student grow, build confidence in their abilities, guide their competence, and succeed. In my classroom, students will participate in diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments, which are crucial to measure students’ knowledge, monitor their progress, and evaluate their learning outcomes to then enable personalized instruction and determine proficiency in their learning. Ultimately, I aspire to be a teacher who leaves a long-lasting impact on my students' education and lives. I hope my students will remember me and can therefore feel comfortable reaching out to me again after moving on from my classroom, becoming a trusted resource they can rely on that will always help and support them throughout their lives.
Reflection
What did you learn about yourself as an educator while you wrote your philosophy?
As I wrote my teaching philosophy, I learned that I'm extremely dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming environment in my classroom. I also think I've realized how much deeper my passion for teaching and caring for students is, because I don't think I had ever reflected on what I want my classroom and teaching to look like and portray until I began writing my teaching philosophy. I realized that as a little girl growing up a minority, where a lot of times I felt like an outsider or that I didn't belong, all of those old memories and emotions that had been stored in my heart are now what motivate me to want to be the teacher I aspire to be one day for my students; be caring, loving, welcoming, inclusive, and make sure no student is left behind, just like the teachers that made an impact on me and that I now hold close to my heart. I feel more connected to my teaching journey, and I strive to be the teacher that makes a positive impact on my students' lives and makes them feel heard and seen, and that they matter, they belong, they are worthy, and they can do anything they want to in life.
"Every child needs at least one adult who is irrationally crazy about him or her." - Urie Bronfenbrenner
Gabriela Gonzalez Venegas: gonzalezvenegasgaby@gmail.com Gabriela.Gonzalez_Venegas@colostate.edu (970)459-0687