Teaching Philosophy Jenna Uric

Why do I want to teach? The answer to that is simple: I want to make a difference in a child’s life. That may be here in the United States, but chances are, it will happen in a developing nation. My mission trips to Haiti helped me make that decision. Those kids are so underprivileged and a lot of them don’t have the opportunity to receive an education. I believe that every child deserves the right to an education, and I want to make that possible for kids in developing countries.

Read to my kids as much as possible Read to my kids as much as possible. I want to help them develop a love of reading at a young age. “Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift.” -Katie DiCamillo

One of My Biggest Influences When I was in kindergarten, I had a really tough time learning how to read. So, I went to a special teacher for Title 1 classes. It was so bad that my parents considered holding me back. But, he did an amazing job. By the time I was in fourth grade, I was in the advanced class for reading and reading almost on a college level. I may have struggled at first, but I didn’t give up and eventually succeeded. That teacher is the reason that I have such a great love of reading. That is also the reason that I want to help my students develop that love as well.

Teach my kids about diversity Teach my kids about diversity. Help them understand that being different is okay. “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.” -Maya Angelou

My Take On Diversity I grew up in a school where 99% of the kids were Caucasian, it wasn’t very diverse at all. I was never prejudice people of other races, I just hadn’t been around them a lot. A small, farm town doesn’t allow for very much diversity. Even still, I knew deep down, that I was okay with diversity. That was sealed when I went to Haiti for the first time. I didn’t look at those children and see the color of their skin. I looked at them and saw someone who wanted to learn, and succeed, and go somewhere in life, just like the kids I work with here. That is a big reason that I want to teach my kids about diversity.

Help my kids realize their potential and help them find ways to use it. “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” -Confucius

Realizing My Potential Up until I was a sophomore in high school, I wanted to go to college to major in History. It was the only subject that I found remotely interesting and thought that I would be a good major for me. I wanted to continue on to get my Ph.D. and teach on a college level. This was a class in school that I was good at and I thought that meant it was what I should do for the rest of my life. I had a wakeup call. I had always enjoyed working with kids, but it wasn’t until someone pointed out that I was really good with them, that I thought ‘hey, maybe I should be an elementary school teacher!’ That was a great moment and since I decided that, I haven’t looked back.

Show my students that they all have gifts, and each of those gifts is special. “I believe that God has put gifts and talents and ability on the inside of every one of us. When you develop that and you believe in yourself and you believe that you’re a person of influence and a person of purpose, I believe you can rise up out of any situation.” -Joel Olsteen

Everyone Has a Gift Before I could realize my potential, I had to figure out what my gift was. Everyone has one, or more, you just have to find out what it is. Whether it be artistic, musical, athletic, or academic, you have one, and no matter what, its important. I knew I had a gift of working with children at a pretty young age. I took that gift and put it to work, whether that was in the nursery at church, or at bible school, or tutoring kids. Finding that gift and acting on it is a big reason that I’m an education major.

Be the best role model I can be- not all of the students will have good role models at home. “I think a role model is a mentor- someone you see on a daily basis, and you learn from them.” -Denzel Washington

Role Models I grew up having a lot of great role models. I was lucky to have them at home, unlike some kids. My parents are both hard workers and taught me many important things. I had amazing teachers; without some of them, I wouldn’t have made the college decision that I did. There were people from my church who influenced me greatly. One of those people and his sons are the reason that I’m minoring in Special Education. I can honestly say that without all these people, I would not be where I am today. I want to be a great role model for my students, just like all of these people were for me.

Come up with fun ways to teach Come up with fun ways to teach. If its not enjoyable for them, they won’t take as much out of it. “Learning is more effective when it is an active, rather than a passive process.” -Kurt Lewin

Learning Can be Fun The things I learned in school that stuck with me did so for a reason. I can honestly say that I don’t remember the battles of the Civil War or the plot of ‘The Joy Luck Club.’ But you know what I do remember? The plot of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ because my English teacher had us act the scenes out; the design of medieval castles, because my social studies teacher had us rebuild one; the details of a contour map, because my geology teacher had us make one ourselves. These things stuck with me because they were fun! They kept my attention and made me want to keep learning about them.

Make sure that my students know my room is a safe place Make sure that my students know my room is a safe place. Let them know I will never judge them. “You can’t judge people and touch their souls at the same time.” -Tama Kieves

The Act of Judging When you feel like someone is judging you, you kind of detach when you’re around them. You don’t want to give them a reason to make fun of you. I didn’t talk a lot in high school a little bit, because I didn’t want the other students or the teacher to think I didn’t know what I was doing. It doesn’t make for a great learning environment. That’s why I’m determined to make my kids feel safe, from me and from the other students.