Teaching Philosophy Statement

A child struggles with his math homework and sits alone, quietly whispering to himself, “I don’t get it.” He could not bear to ask one of his classmates for help. “What would they think?” he wonders. The child cannot help but stare at the blank page with one single equation, as he contemplates whether he should give up or not. He sits for what he feels is hours, when it has only been a minute. The child throws down his pencil, covers his head in his arms and starts to cry. It is moments like this in the classroom that children face everyday. This moment is the exact reason for having math teachers. The job of a math teacher is to be able to teach and lecture students with the utmost enthusiasm and genuine qualities. I feel that the job of being

Mathematics teachers specialize in teaching a variety of math courses such as algebra, geometry and basic mathematics (“Mathematics” 100). The teacher can then use these courses and skills to create lessons based off of the state curricula or help students based upon what they need specifically (“Mathematics” 100). While a music therapist does help other people, these people can be much older in age and it is more of the emotional help instead of academic help. I would like to work with younger children or teens in the academic field rather than with older men and women in an office type area. According to Naviance, the main goal of a music therapist is to, “Plan, organize, or direct medically prescribed music therapy activities designed to positively influence patients’ psychological or behavioral status.” In other words, a music therapist can use the beat, movement or sounds of music to give a person psychological positivity. While this is a good fit for me, being in the field of music, I would like to do more than help people with their problems. I want to be able to help children with their academic integrity and be able to provide them with information that will help them succeed in life. Not only does a math teacher guide students through teaching, but mathematics teachers also create tests, quizzes, and exams to track their students’ progress during the course of a school year

For example, many colleges recommend a person going for their math teaching degree to take the following classes in senior high: “Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Statistics, Probability, Logic and a Communications class” (“Mathematics” 101). Since I am already on the honor's path for math, I have a high chance of being able to take all of the courses recommended. Meanwhile, the courses recommended for being a music therapist is as follows: Music Theory, Drama, Psychology and Communications (“Music Therapists,” Careers 147). Although I do have an interest in taking music theory and a psychology class, I am not able to fit either one into my high school schedule due to my interest in taking Sociology and art classes. In order to be any type of teacher, one has to also get their bachelor’s and master’s degree on what they would like to teach (“Mathematical”). Since I already planned to receive by bachelor’s degree, this is a much easier task. Also, since my mother completed her master’s degree, I have a strong desire to do the same. Most teachers also have to receive certification by their state by the Department of Education (“Mathematics” 102). Many if not all departments require a master’s degree or a minimum grade point average (“Mathematics” 102). Again, this does not seem to be a problem for me as I intend