Ms. Hogan's Vision of Teaching and Learning

An unknown author once said that the love teaching comes second only
to the love of learning. As a teacher and a lifelong learner, I truly love learning.
Followed by my love of acquiring new knowledge is my passion for teaching
and children. A fascination with learning and the desire to know more is my
approach toward education and what I instill in the children I teach.
In my classroom, I try to take into account all of my students' different
learning styles. In order to reach each and every student, I use differentiated
instruction to teach my lessons. The theorist Jean Piaget believes that children
develop in a systematical way. He calls this process ages and stages. Not all
children develop at the same rates and as an educator, this is very important to
to know. If a teachers knows their students capabilities, and what they are able
to achieve, only then can that teacher begin planning with their students in
mind.
Along with the differentiated instruction, I try to provide rigor within my
classroom. As a teacher, rigor to me is defined by requiring my students to apply
what they have learned within the classroom to real- life situations, and being
able to give their own examples in their own words. Allowing them to use a
higher- level of thinking to solve problems, work collaboratively with their
classmates, and requiring them to be critical thinkers is what rigor looks like in
my classroom.
Children also possess many unique qualities and needs, and they have
a need to feel safe in a classroom environment where their ideas are heard and
respected. To effectively carry this out, I believe that a teacher needs to be a
good listener and to lay down a solid foundation of acceptance for each student
as an individual. One of my favorite theorists, Abraham Maslow, says that a
child’s basic physiological needs have to be met first before they can even think
about learning and their academics. This idea is called Maslow's Hierarchy of
Needs. As a teacher and in my classroom, I always ensure that my students
have at least a little something in their stomachs so that they have the fuel and
the energy to focus on their schoolwork. I try to provide a safe environment for
them to learn in and make sure that they are aware that they are in a safe place
where they can express themselves in a non- threatening environment.  If a
child is worried about where their next meal is going to come from or whether or
not they are going to make it home safely, then they are not going to be focused
on their academics at all.
Providing my students with a well rounded education that includes lots of
hands- on experiences and planting the seed of higher education in them is
important to me. I feel that it is never too early to teach children about their future
and ways to help the communities that they live in.