Do you believe in MAGIC?
The word MAGIC has always stuck out for me; I love believing anything is possible. The British use the word informally as a way of meaning “wonderful” or “exciting”, and that’s how I perceive certain moments in the classroom — magical! So I decided to take this word and create an acronym for it to summarize my teaching philosophy.
Mental Health: The mental health of my students is important to me. I’m still in the development stages of a check-in system that works for how I envision my classroom routine, but it is definitely a high priority. My own mental health is also important; I recognize that I cannot expect my students to take in information I’m providing if I’m not into the lesson, whatever the reason for that may be (example: the loss of a family member). I have strategies in mind of how I’ll be taking care of myself, during my practicum as well as the rest of my career.
Atmosphere: Working in a positive environment has always been a huge factor in deciding my career path. The physical space will be dependent on the type of position I’m in, and the room I’m allotted, but I believe I can make any space work. Essentially though, I want my classroom to be filled with things that will benefit student learning — extra whiteboards (or painting tables/desks with whiteboard paint), sensory objects, a wide variety of reading material, and more.
Growth Mindset: To go along with having a positive environment, I’ll be making sure my students are also aware of the concept of growth mindset. (This is something that I was introduced to before my third practicum, by my Teacher Mentor, and I was able to teach a lesson on it to my Grade 3 practicum students.) If I were to have my own class, one of the first things I would establish in September is that my classroom will be a place of inclusive language; we do not put down ourselves and others, as we are all learning (myself included!).
Introspection: With every practicum (and in some of the B.Ed. courses), my fellow Teacher Candidates and I have had to hand in reflections — which I absolutely love! I often reflect on each day’s events before bed, but I’ve really enjoyed writing down my thoughts and feelings. This practice is something I’d like to continue through this blog, as well as in journal form (for more private matters) throughout my teaching career. It’s also a practice I believe my students would benefit from, and it’ll become part of my classroom routine (whether daily or weekly, still undecided).
Choice: Although listed last, this is the first word of my teaching philosophy; I established this part of my teaching philosophy before I entered the B.Ed. program, and it is the reason I became a teacher. While I believe many teachers have moved into this model of giving students more choice and autonomy in what they read, how they complete assignments, etc., it’s not something I personally grew up with (at least not with most of my K-12 teachers), so it is an especially important piece of my educational philosophy puzzle.