Liana Allans Personal Philosophy Statement

My philosophy as a teacher is to be able to provide an inclusive classroom in which all students feel like they belong and are encouraged to use their own ideas to create an education setting that is catered to their needs and interests. I believe that as an educator that all students are unique and that they all bring different aspects of life, cultures, values and beliefs. I want to make sure that I value and address the diversity of the students within the classroom. I want my students to recognise that they are all individual by recognising their individuality within the classroom. The diversity of students gives the opportunity to bring a range of ideas and beliefs to the classroom that can relate to the classroom teaching and issues that might arise. I want my classroom to feel welcoming in which my students can discuss personal matters and issues that they might face. I want to take the opportunity to know the students by name and recognise that I take pride as a kind-hearted person and an educator that I want to make sure that I am pronouncing their name correctly. I will take the time to ensure that I am calling them by the name they wish to be called by as I feel that it is not only respectful but important when gaining trust and respect for a person. I feel this is very important to me as my name is continuously being misunderstood and articulated incorrectly. I also want to take the opportunity to know a little bit about the students backgrounds so that I can get to know them and their interests so that I can cater to their needs and make sure that the curriculum is taught to them in a way that will capture their learning and make it interesting and suited to them so that they can enjoy learning in my class.

As an educator I have the responsibility to make sure that all students are provided with the education resources that they need as it is my responsibility to help my students to learn. I want to make sure that if a student requires the support of a teacher aide or other support personnel that they are treated with respect. I will make sure that I work alongside the support personnel and build a relationship with them that makes us work as a team. I will make sure that the support personnel is there to offer support to all of the students and has professional support and development offered to them. I want to make my classroom as friendly as possible. I feel that it is important to have an open-door policy so that the parents and whnau of my students are welcomed into the classroom to support the student and see the learning and the progress that their child is making. I will provide opportunities (formal and informally) in which the parents, whnau and community can come and see the classroom in action, meet and get to know me in person and be willing to talk to me in regards to any queries or concerns that they may have. Having parent and whnau support plays a big part in supporting the childs learning. It is shown that the learning is enhanced when parent involvement in school is sustained and focused on the learning activities (Ministry of Education, 2011). I will also make an effort to be seen as a passionate teacher by being in the community to watch the students play sport and attend community events. As a teacher I will comply with the New Zealand Graduating Teacher Standards and the New Zealand Code of Ethics as I will demonstrate that I am professional teacher by demonstrating that I can implicate the seven standards of professional practice, professional knowledge and professional values and relationships. Through this I will show that I understand the critical role that teachers play in enabling the education achievement of all learners (New Zealand Teachers Council, 2007) as well as

demonstrate that I am mindful to the learners ability, cultural background, gender, age and stage of development (New Zealand Teachers Council, n.d.). I will be mindful of the implications that can happen to a teacher and abide to the four fundamental principles of autonomy, justice, responsible care and truth that are stated on the New Zealand Teachers Council Code of Ethics.

References Ministry of Education. (2011). Ttaiako: Cultural competencies for teachers of Mori learners. Wellington: Learning Media. New Zealand Teacher Council. (n.d). Code of Ethics. Wellington: Learning Media. New Zealand Teachers Council. (2007). Graduating Teacher Standards: Aotearoa New Zealand. Wellington: Learning Media.