Special Education Teacher Portfolio
"You knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!" (Psalm 139:13-14)
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe that every child has something to learn. Each day in school, a child benefits in some way. Every moment is a learning experience for a child, whether we as teachers realize it or not. I firmly believe that each child belongs in the least restrictive environment and should feel like he or she is loved and belongs where they are at. I believe that the classroom teacher sets the environment that his or her students learn it, and that the most important part of teaching is making sure that environment is welcoming and a place where students feel loved and cared for, even if they are not enjoying what they are learning, as loving relationships make all the difference when it comes to a child's learning and happiness.
My Classroom Management Philosophy
My classroom management philosophy is strongly backed by behaviorism, as I plan to incorporate positive and negative reinforcement of behaviors in spaced repetition. In special education settings, it is important that behaviors are approached in a consistent and data-backed manner. The verbiage, protocols, and consequences should be the same for each adult working with the student. Often, in special education settings some techniques that work with one student, will not work for another. For this reason, it is important that I as a teacher build my classroom management first on relationship and love before building an in-depth plan.