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Urban
SEALS Doctoral Student
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Dolores Vazquez
| Education |
| Bachelors: Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Florida International University |
| Professional Experiences |
Grade 5 General Education Teacher at Vineland Elementary School |
| Personal Philosophy of Education |
My philosophy of education includes four ingredients: facilitating learning, providing authentic activities, cooperative learning, and individualized instruction. My experiences as an educator have strengthened my belief that every child, regardless of race, language, socioeconomic situation, or disability can learn, as long as the teacher believes he/she can and facilitates the learning. Each student must be made to feel loved, accepted, and able in order to learn. By providing authentic, effective, research-based activities, teachers guide and prepare students to apply skills and knowledge toward everyday situations. Through cooperative learning, students learn to become sensitive to the diversity of others. Cooperative learning also applies outside the classroom; researchers, administrators, parents, teachers, and the community must commit to sharing the information and responsibilities that come along with educating each other, including the children. It is also critical for all stakeholders in the educational system to concentrate on the needs of the individual students. Each child is unique in his characteristics, experiences, and skills. It is important that educators (from administrators to classroom teachers) recognize, understand, and address these differences, capitalizing on the strengths and scaffolding the challenges. |
Throughout my eleven years as a committed educator, I have experienced instructing students with varied individual needs. Too often, I have witnessed colleagues discourage parents of children with special needs from enrolling students in magnet school programs and other activities, assuming the child would not be able to succeed; students are too often stifled without receiving the best learning opportunities other students do. My firm commitment to fine-tuning my instructional skills, enlightening and empowering my colleagues, and developing quality educational programs for students has led me to begin a career path at a school where I have the opportunity to work closely with students with exceptionalities, especially within inclusive classrooms. Pursuing a doctoral degree would allow me to become a catalyst and advocate for providing quality education for students with special needs. Serving as a leader, engaging in research, and possibly teaching pre-service or masters level teachers in the near future would positively impact colleagues, parents, students, and the community. Teaching at the university level and creating effective educational programs for teachers and students as a result of research findings are just a few of my professional goals.