My personal philosophy is influenced by the Humanistic and Constructionist psychological orientation. As a humanist, I am a strong advocator of personal freedom. I thrive on freedom of choice while taking responsibilities of my actions. I am aware of my needs to enhance continual personal and professional development and am motivated by my need for self-actualization. Based on this philosophy, I believe it is important that my students learn in an environment of trust, respect, and learn to respectfully question authority. As Carl Rogers puts it, the classroom is a place "in which curiosity and the natural desire to learn can be nourished and enhanced" (1982, 31). I will not force the students to learn and therefore, will take measures to circumvent such potential issues.
I know that my students and students in general learn with the use of cognitive processes to essentially construct comprehension of the subject matter. As mentioned earlier, I believe that the students should be the focal point and the academic curriculum should be catered to that premise. I tend to concentrate on the way that students think and how they solve math problems while keeping in mind their personalities and experiences, attitudes.
