Anna Matykowski
Carleton College Educational Studies Philosophy of Education Resume Subject Matter Competence Service Learning Component Working with Parents Integrating Technology Experiential Learning in Classrooms American Indian Education Case Study of a Student Model Lesson Plan/ Performance Packages Self-Reflection Pieces/ Professional Summary Student Teaching Observation Record	PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Rationale of Teaching Language Arts I am committed to teaching language arts because I enjoy building relationships with adolescents and learning about their talents and interests. The discipline of language arts especially encourages teachers to care about their students because literature is inextricably connected with personal reactions, interests, and experiences. I also value language arts because reading teaches us how to expand our worldviews by listening to different writers’ ideas and beliefs about life. I am excited to help students discover the value of learning about different perspectives and feeling compassion for a wide variety of people. I am confident that this career will energize me because language arts unites two of my lifelong pursuits: teaching young people and studying literature. On my journey to teaching, I have met many students who feel disempowered and unsuccessful in the classroom. Whenever I meet these students, I am inspired to envision lessons that will rekindle their interests in reading, writing, and critical thinking by affirming their areas of expertise. This source of motivation was invaluable during my student teaching experience at New Spirit Middle School. I constantly pushed myself to invent lessons that would engage students who were resistant to language arts. One day, I asked my students to write similes to express their feelings about the languages that they speak (see model lesson plan). John, a native Spanish speaker, initially wrote off the assignment as worthless, refusing to write or even think about the topic. I responded to John by encouraging him to think about his personal experiences with Spanish and English. As soon as John realized that he possessed extensive knowledge about the topic, he stopped making excuses and began to write. At the end of the period, John approached me with an enthusiastic smile and requested another handout so that he could recopy his similes and give them to his parents. This memory and other positive teaching experiences have inspired me to create more lesson plans that illuminate my students’ areas of expertise and make their learning experiences meaningful. Language becomes valuable when it initiates personal reflection, inspires public discourse, and prompts reevaluation of ideas. My lessons elucidate each of these three dynamic purposes of language for my students. I assign writing topics about community, family, emotions, and other subjects that meaningfully connect to my students’ lives. My students publish their writing in classroom books that they can bring home, share, and save. In addition to fostering connections between the home and school, I select literature that catalyzes meaningful discourse about societal inequities, stereotypes, and the emotional power of language. I decided to become a language arts teacher because I want to dedicate my professional life to helping adolescents develop academically and morally. This goal became increasingly clear as my student teaching experience progressed. As each week passed, I found myself growing more and more confident that I had chosen the perfect career for my interests, talents, and personal happiness. I look forward to future teaching experiences when I can once again build meaningful relationships with students, share my passion for learning, and inspire my students to reach their potentials.