Philosophy of Teaching CreechIllustrator George Evans once said, "Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way." Every child has the ability to learn, and as an educator, it is my responsibility to know my students well so I can teach them well. Children engage and learn when the curriculum is designed with them in mind. To tailor the curriculum to a student you need to know their background, family, abilities, interests and difficulties. This requires being well-versed in multicultural skills, being aware of the fallacy of meritocracy, and having radical empathy. Classrooms are becoming more diverse, and teachers need to understand that students have lives outside of school that may differ from their own. These lives influence how they think, study, and learn in the classroom. Therefore, conducting home visits provides a wealth of information that cannot be obtained from classroom interactions alone. Students are more likely to respond to my efforts as a teacher after I learn who they are as people and demonstrate that I care about their education. When curriculum is meaningful to students' lives, it generates genuine interest in learning. By knowing my students thoroughly I will also be able to set expectations high enough to appropriately challenge them. Knowing and teaching children well first requires knowing myself well. As a teacher I am a gatekeeper and therefore have an immense impact on the future of students. This can occur on a smaller scale, such as denying a student the opportunity to research their own answer, or on a higher scale, such as unintentionally perpetuating racial or gender inequities. Educators must be dedicated to teaching each child. This is why before setting foot in…half of a paper…how to best educate the student with critical pedagogy, teachers must recognize that there are multiple learning styles. This is why I believe in a third educational theory known as Multiple Intelligences. Dr. Howard Gardner developed this theory in 1983 and outlines eight distinct intelligences displayed by humans (thomasarmstrong.com). Schools tend to focus on linguistic and mathematical logic intelligences, ignoring the fact that there may be other ways to teach students and for them to showcase their knowledge. Considering each student's learning style, lessons should be varied to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to understand the material. The other six intelligences include spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligence. My philosophy involves constant reevaluation and improvement of myself.