My Philosophy of Professionalism

As I begin my teaching career, I am committed to becoming a positive, supportive and influential role model for my students so that they can become critical thinkers and change makers in their own lives and communities. To do so, I will uphold my duty of professionalism and integrity as an educator that promotes these examples within the classroom and beyond. As I continue on in my profession, I will act according to the Ontario College of Teachers' Standards of Practice and Ethical Standards as outlined in this section below.

Ontario College of Teachers Standards of Practice and Ethical Standards

Standards of Practice

Commitment to Students and Student Learning

I am committed to providing the utmost care and commitment to my students to support their well-being, respect their identities and ways of learning. I strive to foster a space of respect, trust, growth and equity to create a brave space that helps students feel empowered and actively engage in their own learning. I am committed to ensuring that each student is treated respectfully and fairly. I am aware that each student brings in their own diverse identities, knowledges, experiences and stories so I will ensure that each students' learning needs and emotional needs are being met to have them in the best position to be successful. Above all, I strive my best to challenge and inspire students to become independent, critical thinkers that question what they encounter and aspire to be courageous advocates as they build upon their own voices and sense of self throughout their educational journey.

I am committed to continuously developing my professional knowledge and staying up to date with current professional practices, students' development, pedagogies, ethics, curriculum, legislation and any educational research required. To expand on this, I have been discussing practices with other members of staff, guidance counselors and admin as well as my mentor teacher and department through staff meetings. I will also stay up to date on my professional knowledge through educational newsletters, attending conferences, reading educational research papers and joining conferences to enhance my knowledge for my professional practice. I understand that my professional knowledge is a constant process of growth and learning to inform my professional judgement in practice. In the classroom, I will listen to my students' learning needs, make adjustments to accommodate them and reflect on my professional experiences to inform my practice.

Professional Knowledge

Professional Practice

I am committed to being flexible, equitable and utilizing culturally responsive pedagogy, assessment, evaluation and resources that supports the diverse identities and learning needs of students in my classroom. I am committed to help students learn through experiential learning to help them improve their critical thinking skills and make relevant connections between their learning in the classroom and beyond. Through my own inquiry and research of student interests, dialogue and reflection, I have learned that students are interested in hands-on learning, technology, trades and diverse representation so I am adapting my lessons to accommodate the various needs of my students. I will ensure that my resources and technology are relevant, accessible and responds to the needs of the students in order to help them succeed in their learning communities and beyond the classroom. I am also continuously trying to find new ways to help students learn after each lesson, what I could improve and new strategies that supports student learning.

I am committed to modelling a positive leadership role model that promotes student leadership and helps them build towards success in their learning communities. I see my classroom as a makerspace, one that emphasizes collaboration, inquiry and I work together with my students to build meaningful skills and leadership qualities that help students succeed in school and beyond. I strive for my students to understand their important roles they must take on as we cultivate a supportive space that is courageous, asks important questions and share responsibilities for a successful, safe and brave learning environment. I want to build meaningful relationships with my students and strive for them to work together as we work together to make meaning of what we learn and the stories we encounter in our lives. Above all, I will maintain and uphold the standards of practice and ethical standards as outlined by the Ontario College of Teachers' in order to help facilitate these values in my classroom.

Leadership in Learning Communities

Ongoing Professional Learning

I recognize as an educator that as I continue in my profession, I have the responsibility to constantly evolve my practice and knowledge to accomodate for the diverse learning needs of my students. I strive to continue developing my professional learning through additional qualification courses, professional development opportunities, conferences, workshops, emerging educational research and collaborating with other members of the learning community to learn from their experiences. I am committed to continually building upon my own learning to best help my students succeed in their educational journeys. I recognize that as an educator, learning never stops so I am dedicated to staying informed and up to date on equitable teaching practices, various modes of lesson delivery, pedagogies and assessments to inform my own professional practice and development.

Ethical Standards

CARE

I am committed to the care of my students by taking account for students' interests in their learning and expressing compassion to the many diverse circumstances they encounter. I strive to be thoughtful and responsive when listening to students' concerns so that I may make adjustments to support their learning and well being in the classroom. I am committed to creating an open, positive and accepting learning environment that aims to ensure that all students' learning needs and voices are heard.

RESPECT

I am committed to creating a respectful and equitable classroom environment that is built on trust and fairness. I want to honour my classroom as a space that supports the emotional well-being, dignity and diverse identities that exist in the classroom, as well as model respect for diverse cultures, beliefs, and confidentiality of others. I am committed to equitable and fair assessments, along with creating lessons and assignments that help develop students' as critical thinkers and change makers.

TRUST

I am committed to developing trust in my professional practice by building meaningful relationships with students, colleagues, parents and the larger community. I strive to maintain a classroom that is built on trust and fairness so that each student is respected and treated fairly. I honour the confidentiality of my students, colleagues and other members of the community so that they feel safe and welcomed.

INTEGRITY

I am committed to modelling honesty, reliability and moral action regarding my professional practice and responsibilities as an educator. I am open and honest when it comes to addressing my own flaws, mistakes or biases I may have so I can continue to improve as an educator that supports my students' learning and wellbeing. I strive to model reliability and moral action as I collaborate with students and other colleagues to create an inclusive and engaging learning environment.

Contact

If you have any questions or would like to reach out to me, please do not hesitate to fill out this form. I will contact you as soon as possible with a reply from my email: ysabel19@my.yorku.ca