Digital Portfolio
MAT 2005

Mary Jerzak

Agnes Scott College

Mary Jerzak

My Philosophy of Teaching

In my family, education was always very important. My mother immigrated to the U.S. from Korea to give her children a better education and opportunities for a better future. Her own lack of education in Korea because of a strict Confucius culture and her mother's prejudices is what drove her to emphasize education for us. Through my own personal experiences, I have grown to believe education is the foundation for a successful and happy life. Promoting lifelong learning and using knowledge in the real world are some important goals I have as an educator.

I would like to incorporate constructionist and scaffolding models into my classroom. This would consist of as much collaborative, group learning as possible, with the teacher acting in the role of facilitator, providing necessary guidance for students. Developing higher level thinking skills and proficient reading skills are of the utmost importance. My overall emphasis will be to allow for room for creativity, in terms of creative writing, artistic development, and use of technology. I hope my classroom will be a supportive learning environment with as much positive student interaction as possible.