Philosophy Of Education

My teaching philosophy for physical education involves helping people to grow as individuals first and then work on coming together to become a unified and supportive group. My main goal is to become an adapted physical education specialist and teacher. I want to work with individuals that come across an array of challenges in physical and intellectual realms. I plan on showing my students different ways that they can approach activities such as running, swimming, or team sports that work for them and fit specific needs. I find that many students with disabilities tend to shy away from physical activity, but I want to be there for support and help to show my students that playing sports and being physically active are things that they can do and find success in.

As a teacher I will see all my students as individuals with different skills and interests. I want my future students to feel like I am someone they can come to talk to. I plan on letting my students know I care about their goals and help lead them to success.  My students will make two personal goals per year. One goal will be for something that applied to our class and the other will be for something personal or that relates to sport and exercise outside of class. For example a classroom goal could be, being able to run all the warm-up laps in the beginning of class without stopping or walking. An outside of class example would be being able to keep up and play tag with my brothers and sisters at home. I think it is important for students to think about how physical education is a part of home life and school life.

Students will be assessed based on weekly progress of their goals. All students will keep a journal or log of their current level and how they plan to reach their two goals. Having the students keep a journal makes it personal to them and allows them the freedom to write and reflect on what they know and think about their goals and progress. Students will be graded on the effort and honesty of their journals and writing.

The learning environment in my gymnasium will be cooperative and respectful. I want my classes to feel like a community and that each individual plays an important role. To help create this sense of belonging I plan to spend a lot of time in the beginning of every school year on project adventure games and team building games. Since physical education can be an uncomfortable environment for many students, I will be sure to meet the needs of my students so they feel like they belong in the class and are an important part.

As a physical education teacher I want to become involved in helping students set and achieve personal goals for themselves and look at how they can accomplish different things. I want my students to be able to reflect on class and activities outside of class and  do so by keeping journals to document goal progress and personal thoughts. The future students in my physical education class will have a respectful classroom environment that works as a small community where everyone is important. I feel these key elements and the specific ideas are the backbone physical education philosophy.

Philosophy Of Athletics

My coaching philosophy originates from my upbringing and childhood living with type one diabetes. When I was diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of five, my parents got me involved with sports so I had the opportunity to meet people and enjoy being a kid again. The first sport I participated in soccer because I had a lot of energy and wanted to be on a large team. When I was on the soccer field I was not worried about my next insulin injection and the daily demands of having diabetes. On the field I was free and happy and nothing stood in my way. My teammates saw me as another player and a vital player on their team, which made me feel important and not like a nuisance. They did not see me as the kid who needed to go to the nurse all the time during the school day or who had weird lunches. I was a teammate and a friend.

The feeling of being a part of something bigger and working together towards a goal while still having fun and being a kid is something I want all students to experience. My goal is to coach individuals with disabilities. My purpose as a leader and a mentor is to bring students with special needs together and encourage a team that displays drive and commitment. I believe in athletics for the purpose of development of an individual as a whole, physically achieving goals and emotionally growing along the way. I want my team to focus on the small goals that happen during the game that do not always put points on the score board. I want my team to celebrate great saves from the goalie, amazing passes and assists from the offense and a solid wall from our defensive line. I hope to coach many different sports; my first sport was soccer, but I was also involved in volleyball, swimming, track and field, and cross country. I want my athletes to have fun and show passion for their sport and show they have pride for their accomplishments. My team will be leaders in their own ways and show honesty, respect, and citizenship on and off of the field or court.