My School Counseling Beliefs and Philosophies
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My Teaching Philosophy
My personal teaching philosophy is dually influenced by my role as a school counselor and an educator, and reflects my personal understanding for the unique needs and experiences of children and adolescents. By striving to meet the unique needs of all students, I believe in the integration of personal beliefs and evidence-based practices to influence my philosophy. I intend to uphold the school counselor foci of advocacy, equality, and empowerment while engaging in the educational experience with students. In order to influence all areas of development, school counseling curriculum centers on the academic, career and personal-social development. By exhibiting a commitment to attend to the needs of students and continual self-assessment, I believe my philosophy will be an ongoing journey to ultimately help all students perform to their best abilities. The following are my core beliefs that guide my teaching philosophy and describe the educator I aspire to be:
1. All students have the ability to be high achievers.
When students’ interests are thoroughly engaged, they have the opportunity to become invested in their education. I intend to help all students pursue their passions and gain an understanding of the importance of education in their lives. I recognize all students are, first and foremost, children and adolescents navigating through life. Regardless of circumstance and/or demographics, I believe all children and adolescents have the right to a quality education. By investing in their educational journey, I believe all students have the ability to perform to the best of their abilities and succeed. I find it important to communicate this ideology to students through my teaching and celebrate achievement throughout the journey.
2. All students can be empowered to become self-advocates.
Through a comprehensive education, students should be able to develop a sense of self-advocacy. As a school counselor, I hope to empower my students to embrace this role and make the choice best for them. All students come from different and unique backgrounds, and they have the abilities to form their own personal opinions and thoughts about the world. By having a voice in their education, students have the opportunity to express their educational needs necessary to succeed. Students should feel safe in expressing their needs and opinions in the school environment, and this will contribute to the development of students’ self-efficacy and ownership of ideas. As self-advocates, students will better be able to navigate their education throughout their lives and beyond. As a school counselor, I believe I have to challenge students to formulate their own ideas and stand up for their beliefs.
3. Maintain a respectful classroom atmosphere that fosters student’s individuality and uniqueness.
I believe all individuals have a story to tell, including school-age students. The classroom setting provides the opportunity to foster the individuality of students. Due to the changing demographics and characteristics of students, school counselors, as educators, must respect these differences in their teaching practices and maintain multicultural competence. By adopting these beliefs, school counselors serve as role models for students to learn the importance of respecting one another. I believe the unique experiences of my students helps educators instill a culture of respect and pluralism in the overall school environment. Students can greatly benefit from hearing the experiences of other classmates, which allows students to share their own experience and learn from one another. By encouraging students to share their personal stories, I believe students will adopt a respect for diversity in their lives.
4. I believe in being open to different perspectives and practices to work towards adopting an inclusive environment.
In our ever-evolving educational system, I believe educators must be aware of the varied learning styles of their students. I believe success is measured differently for every student, and educators must work to foster student’s individual growth in a positive manner. By acknowledging the unique learning styles of students, educators help students understand how they learn individually and foster an interest in learning. Often, students may be told they are not completing work in the “correct” way, even though students recognize the techniques that work best for their personal learning style. This can potentially turn students off from learning. I believe students learn best in a least restrictive environment, and educators must attend to the individual learning needs of their students. In order to appeal to a variety of learning styles, I will incorporate varied instructional methods. By providing an inclusive classroom environment, I believe students and teachers have the opportunity to learn from one another.
5. I believe class curriculum should be thoroughly prepared and organized in advance to assure students receive a quality content and class experience.
Through methodical preparation, school counselors can confidently and effectively uphold their roles educators. Classroom guidance lessons allow school counselors to widely reach students in the classroom environment. I believe school counselors should be intentional with their lessons and utilize effective, evidence-based practices and lessons to best reach their students’ needs. I intend to plan curriculum in advance and evaluate the relevance of class topics and discussions. I will elicit the assistance of faculty and/or staff to co-teach or organize curricula. To uphold this standard, I will review current, evidence-based curriculum to assure students receive adequate information and opportunity for learning. Also, as a professional in child development and counseling theory, I find it important to personally contribute to designing classroom curriculum to facilitate student learning.
6. I believe in creative collaboration with faculty and students to develop the best academic outcomes.
As a school counselor, I uphold the importance of collaboration with faculty and students to adopt the best teaching techniques to best reach my students. This collaboration will result in establishing positive relationships with both faculty and students. Personally, I believe teachers and school counselors can learn from each other. As a school counselor, I believe establishing rapport with both teachers and students will lead to positive and supportive relationships. This can be achieved by upholding respect, positive regard and acceptance in the overall school environment. In addition, I believe students share vital information how they learn, which can inform my personal teaching strategies. While these strategies may differ depending on developmental levels of students, I believe students share vital information how they learn with school counselors.
7. I believe effective classroom management leads to a positive and productive learning environment.
Classroom management plays a vital role in the effectiveness of classroom guidance lessons and helps school counselors reach all students. I find it important for students and teachers to collaborate to establish rules and expectations, which help in the development of classroom management. I believe teachers have the responsibility to devote time to establishing a system for students to provide insight into the classroom rules, which are to be framed in a positive language. In addition, educators must take the time early on to explain the importance of this process to students. Once established, the rules and procedures are viewed as a contract between the teacher and students. I believe students’ performances are focused and increased when they are aware of class procedures and expectations, especially when they have contributed to the establishment of classroom procedures. Predictability will help students stay on task and be more engaged in the class routine. Overall, a classroom management plan allows school counselors to effectively assume the role of a teacher.
8. I believe educators should exhibit clear communication with students to ensure active listening skills and convey student expectations.
As a result of my counselor training, I believe clear communication is essential to the learning process. Through clear communication, teachers and students are able to understand one another. In addition, active listening skills allow me to thoroughly understand where my students are coming from. Also, it helps me communicate student expectations in the classroom. Above all, clear communication allows me to convey important messages and themes to my students through classroom guidance lessons. This will also assist in providing students with helpful feedback. Similar to counseling, communications skills also convey a school counselor’s competence when working with others. I believe clear communication will exude my confidence and help me build trust with my students in the classroom environment. Overall, this will contribute to the establishment of a respectful atmosphere.
9. Provide thorough and thoughtful feedback to students with the hope they can grow from the experience.
In my personal experience, I find that I have significantly grown when I have received thorough feedback. It has been a positive experience for me, and I hope my students can benefit from similar experiences. I find it important for educators to exhibit positive regard with students and place emphasis on students’ strengths. When their strengths are identified, students are motivated to further develop these strengths and gain confidence in their abilities. In addition, constructive feedback is intended to be comprehensive, resulting from observations and concrete evidence. I intend to communicate feedback through personal interactions with students and class evaluations, such as discussions, essays and examinations. I believe open and honest feedback will provide students with the opportunity to grow as individuals. Overall, feedback is intended to empower students towards positive academic, career and personal/social assessment.
10. I believe in a commitment to improvement through the process of systematic evaluation.
In order to gain a comprehensive evaluation of my teaching skills and effectiveness, I will elicit input from my fellow colleagues and students. Evaluations will be complied through classroom observations, student achievement and course evaluations. This will allow me to continually evaluate my effectiveness as an educator and my approach to teaching. Course evaluations will be completed at the end of each guidance unit. In addition, other evaluations will be conducted annually. If necessary, observations will be conducted on an as needed basis. I will also take advantage of professional development opportunities to improve my teaching. Overall, I continually learn effective teaching practices and learn about myself as an educator.
11. I recognize learning occurs in all areas of life, and learning never ends.
Even though significant learning occurs in the classroom environment, I truly believe learning occurs in all areas of life. While I find it important to teach students important academic, career and personal/social skills in the classroom, many of these skills are most effectively learned outside the classroom setting. Once students practice these skills in their environments, they take the necessary steps to implement these skills into their everyday lives. In addition, students learn from other important figures in their lives, such as their families and peers. Because of this, I find it important to involve parents, guardians and families in the educational process. Children and adolescents also take important lessons from their own personal life experiences, which contribute to identity formation. Overall, learning does not conclude with the end of formal education, but continues throughout lifespan development. Through the combination of learning in and outside of the classroom, students receive a comprehensive educational experience.
1. All students have the ability to be high achievers.
When students’ interests are thoroughly engaged, they have the opportunity to become invested in their education. I intend to help all students pursue their passions and gain an understanding of the importance of education in their lives. I recognize all students are, first and foremost, children and adolescents navigating through life. Regardless of circumstance and/or demographics, I believe all children and adolescents have the right to a quality education. By investing in their educational journey, I believe all students have the ability to perform to the best of their abilities and succeed. I find it important to communicate this ideology to students through my teaching and celebrate achievement throughout the journey.
2. All students can be empowered to become self-advocates.
Through a comprehensive education, students should be able to develop a sense of self-advocacy. As a school counselor, I hope to empower my students to embrace this role and make the choice best for them. All students come from different and unique backgrounds, and they have the abilities to form their own personal opinions and thoughts about the world. By having a voice in their education, students have the opportunity to express their educational needs necessary to succeed. Students should feel safe in expressing their needs and opinions in the school environment, and this will contribute to the development of students’ self-efficacy and ownership of ideas. As self-advocates, students will better be able to navigate their education throughout their lives and beyond. As a school counselor, I believe I have to challenge students to formulate their own ideas and stand up for their beliefs.
3. Maintain a respectful classroom atmosphere that fosters student’s individuality and uniqueness.
I believe all individuals have a story to tell, including school-age students. The classroom setting provides the opportunity to foster the individuality of students. Due to the changing demographics and characteristics of students, school counselors, as educators, must respect these differences in their teaching practices and maintain multicultural competence. By adopting these beliefs, school counselors serve as role models for students to learn the importance of respecting one another. I believe the unique experiences of my students helps educators instill a culture of respect and pluralism in the overall school environment. Students can greatly benefit from hearing the experiences of other classmates, which allows students to share their own experience and learn from one another. By encouraging students to share their personal stories, I believe students will adopt a respect for diversity in their lives.
4. I believe in being open to different perspectives and practices to work towards adopting an inclusive environment.
In our ever-evolving educational system, I believe educators must be aware of the varied learning styles of their students. I believe success is measured differently for every student, and educators must work to foster student’s individual growth in a positive manner. By acknowledging the unique learning styles of students, educators help students understand how they learn individually and foster an interest in learning. Often, students may be told they are not completing work in the “correct” way, even though students recognize the techniques that work best for their personal learning style. This can potentially turn students off from learning. I believe students learn best in a least restrictive environment, and educators must attend to the individual learning needs of their students. In order to appeal to a variety of learning styles, I will incorporate varied instructional methods. By providing an inclusive classroom environment, I believe students and teachers have the opportunity to learn from one another.
5. I believe class curriculum should be thoroughly prepared and organized in advance to assure students receive a quality content and class experience.
Through methodical preparation, school counselors can confidently and effectively uphold their roles educators. Classroom guidance lessons allow school counselors to widely reach students in the classroom environment. I believe school counselors should be intentional with their lessons and utilize effective, evidence-based practices and lessons to best reach their students’ needs. I intend to plan curriculum in advance and evaluate the relevance of class topics and discussions. I will elicit the assistance of faculty and/or staff to co-teach or organize curricula. To uphold this standard, I will review current, evidence-based curriculum to assure students receive adequate information and opportunity for learning. Also, as a professional in child development and counseling theory, I find it important to personally contribute to designing classroom curriculum to facilitate student learning.
6. I believe in creative collaboration with faculty and students to develop the best academic outcomes.
As a school counselor, I uphold the importance of collaboration with faculty and students to adopt the best teaching techniques to best reach my students. This collaboration will result in establishing positive relationships with both faculty and students. Personally, I believe teachers and school counselors can learn from each other. As a school counselor, I believe establishing rapport with both teachers and students will lead to positive and supportive relationships. This can be achieved by upholding respect, positive regard and acceptance in the overall school environment. In addition, I believe students share vital information how they learn, which can inform my personal teaching strategies. While these strategies may differ depending on developmental levels of students, I believe students share vital information how they learn with school counselors.
7. I believe effective classroom management leads to a positive and productive learning environment.
Classroom management plays a vital role in the effectiveness of classroom guidance lessons and helps school counselors reach all students. I find it important for students and teachers to collaborate to establish rules and expectations, which help in the development of classroom management. I believe teachers have the responsibility to devote time to establishing a system for students to provide insight into the classroom rules, which are to be framed in a positive language. In addition, educators must take the time early on to explain the importance of this process to students. Once established, the rules and procedures are viewed as a contract between the teacher and students. I believe students’ performances are focused and increased when they are aware of class procedures and expectations, especially when they have contributed to the establishment of classroom procedures. Predictability will help students stay on task and be more engaged in the class routine. Overall, a classroom management plan allows school counselors to effectively assume the role of a teacher.
8. I believe educators should exhibit clear communication with students to ensure active listening skills and convey student expectations.
As a result of my counselor training, I believe clear communication is essential to the learning process. Through clear communication, teachers and students are able to understand one another. In addition, active listening skills allow me to thoroughly understand where my students are coming from. Also, it helps me communicate student expectations in the classroom. Above all, clear communication allows me to convey important messages and themes to my students through classroom guidance lessons. This will also assist in providing students with helpful feedback. Similar to counseling, communications skills also convey a school counselor’s competence when working with others. I believe clear communication will exude my confidence and help me build trust with my students in the classroom environment. Overall, this will contribute to the establishment of a respectful atmosphere.
9. Provide thorough and thoughtful feedback to students with the hope they can grow from the experience.
In my personal experience, I find that I have significantly grown when I have received thorough feedback. It has been a positive experience for me, and I hope my students can benefit from similar experiences. I find it important for educators to exhibit positive regard with students and place emphasis on students’ strengths. When their strengths are identified, students are motivated to further develop these strengths and gain confidence in their abilities. In addition, constructive feedback is intended to be comprehensive, resulting from observations and concrete evidence. I intend to communicate feedback through personal interactions with students and class evaluations, such as discussions, essays and examinations. I believe open and honest feedback will provide students with the opportunity to grow as individuals. Overall, feedback is intended to empower students towards positive academic, career and personal/social assessment.
10. I believe in a commitment to improvement through the process of systematic evaluation.
In order to gain a comprehensive evaluation of my teaching skills and effectiveness, I will elicit input from my fellow colleagues and students. Evaluations will be complied through classroom observations, student achievement and course evaluations. This will allow me to continually evaluate my effectiveness as an educator and my approach to teaching. Course evaluations will be completed at the end of each guidance unit. In addition, other evaluations will be conducted annually. If necessary, observations will be conducted on an as needed basis. I will also take advantage of professional development opportunities to improve my teaching. Overall, I continually learn effective teaching practices and learn about myself as an educator.
11. I recognize learning occurs in all areas of life, and learning never ends.
Even though significant learning occurs in the classroom environment, I truly believe learning occurs in all areas of life. While I find it important to teach students important academic, career and personal/social skills in the classroom, many of these skills are most effectively learned outside the classroom setting. Once students practice these skills in their environments, they take the necessary steps to implement these skills into their everyday lives. In addition, students learn from other important figures in their lives, such as their families and peers. Because of this, I find it important to involve parents, guardians and families in the educational process. Children and adolescents also take important lessons from their own personal life experiences, which contribute to identity formation. Overall, learning does not conclude with the end of formal education, but continues throughout lifespan development. Through the combination of learning in and outside of the classroom, students receive a comprehensive educational experience.