Educational Philosophy

I believe it is the responsibility of an educator to:

Create classroom communities where diversity is recognized and students have the opportunity to learn about each other, so that students feel safe and supported in the classroom.
Take the time to get to know every student in her classroom, so that student’s strengths and interests are recognized and incorporated during instructional activities.
Make sure every student is included in all activities to the fullest extent possible by making modifications and adaptations as necessary, so all children feel they are important, valued members in the classroom.
Incorporate activities into the curriculum that require the use of multiple intelligences, so that students can learn and present material in a variety of ways; their different strengths will be recognized and supported in the classroom. As a result, children are actively involved in discovering their own learning and will be more likely to remember information since it is meaningful to them.
Be knowledgeable about the material she is going to teach and make it relatable to students’ life experiences, so that she presents and explains the content clearly. As a result, she will help students understand what they are learning and why it is important by making personal connections between the material and their lives.
Recognize that students learn at different rates, so she needs to adapt the pace of and differentiate instruction depending on what children in the class are ready to learn. As a result, every child can be successful in the classroom, even if they are working on different tasks, because their individual capabilities are supported and recognized.
Give students the opportunity to work individually and in groups, so that they can work with a variety of classmates, practice their social skills, and have the opportunity to teach and learn from each other.
Assess students often, both formally and informally, in order to recognize what students have learned and determine if more instructional time needs to be dedicated to a specific topic. As a result, teachers can provide feedback to their students about their progress and decide what additional resources or assistance a child needs on a specific subject or skill to fully understand the material.
Be familiar with students’ Individualized Education Programs, so that he/she can provide the specific support and modifications identified to help students develop and reach their academic goals.
Collaborate with other faculty and staff to learn new teaching methods, utilize all resources in the classroom during instruction to provide assistance to all students.
Reflect on his/her instructional practices and be open to receiving feedback, so he/she can continue improving in the future.

Karen Achtman

Educational Philosophy

I believe it is the responsibility of an educator to:

Create classroom communities where diversity is recognized and students have the opportunity to learn about each other, so that students feel safe and supported in the classroom.

Take the time to get to know every student in her classroom, so that student’s strengths and interests are recognized and incorporated during instructional activities.

Make sure every student is included in all activities to the fullest extent possible by making modifications and adaptations as necessary, so all children feel they are important, valued members in the classroom.

Give students the opportunity to work individually and in groups, so that they can work with a variety of classmates, practice their social skills, and have the opportunity to teach and learn from each other.

Be familiar with students’ Individualized Education Programs, so that he/she can provide the specific support and modifications identified to help students develop and reach their academic goals.

Collaborate with other faculty and staff to learn new teaching methods, utilize all resources in the classroom during instruction to provide assistance to all students.

Reflect on his/her instructional practices and be open to receiving feedback, so he/she can continue improving in the future.