Sarah Grundy

It is difficult for me, as a teacher in training, to say that I have a fully developed teaching philosophy, as I am constantly being exposed to new and interesting perspectives, ideas, and concepts that challenge my previously held beliefs about what it means to be an educator. That being said, however, there are a few key things that have remained unchanged over the course of my experiences and that form the foundation for my philosophy. First of all, I consider it important that educators have a standard for both conduct and instructional ability, as we are models for our students jointly due to our profession but also due to ourselves as individuals. Secondly, I find it important that educators are honest and act ethically, as I  found that throughout my practical experiences I have connected best with my students by being honest. Admitting that it is ok to make mistakes, and recognizing it as a learning experience and opportunity to grow and learn together. Finally, I think that it is essential that educators fully understand that material that they will be teaching, but also that they are not limited in their knowledge and can access a variety of different subjects if need be. I believe this is important because it allows students to become exposed to a wide variety of concepts, and ideas, in addition to allowing the teacher to form cross curricular connections for their students that further strengthen the students understanding. 

In summary, as I stated in the beginning, though my philosophy is constantly evolving and adapting, these are a few of the key foundations that I have found remained unchanged over the course of my degree and the experiences I have had.