All About Miss Jensen!
My name is Samantha Jensen and this will be my thirteenth year teaching, and my tenth year at this wonderful school! I taught 3rd grade at Dr. Bryan C. Jack Elementary in Tyler, Texas for three years after graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Tyler. I have both a general and an ESL certification for teaching children up to 6th grade. Teaching is my passion and I love watching my students achieve their goals and make progress during the school year. When I am not at school I like to read, spend time with my friends and family, do crafty things, or watch any movie that involves superheroes!
My dogs are both full of personality! AJ is a terrier mix and Max is a Golden Retriever. AJ embodies the "older brother" personality to a T; he is smart as a whip, stubborn and a little bit mischievous. He loves to play fetch and run around outside. Max is a big ball of SNUGGLES! He loves affection from people, bird watching and swimming in any body of water he can get into.
Philosophy of Education
A teacher’s philosophy on education sets the tone for the way learning takes place in the classroom. My personal view of education is an egocentric one, and I like to believe that it changes and develops over time as I grow in my profession. For me, the most basic element of teaching is realizing that every student is different; they learn differently, have different strengths and weaknesses, and they will be interested in many different things.
The varied needs of every student in every classroom calls for a very special way of teaching. The best tool that I can give my students is knowledge, and to teach my students how to integrate that knowledge into everyday thinking and decision making. With education, one can do anything! I want to show our future generations that anything is possible as long as they set their minds to it and are willing to put forth the required amount of effort. Every student should learn how to build upon their strengths and minimize their weaknesses—this will create an overwhelming increase of productive citizens graduating from our public schools and entering the “real world.”
I believe that Social Reconstruction is a theory that holds many valid points. This theory states the children should be educated to learn how to solve the problems in their surrounding communities. I firmly believe that the students of our schools play a big role in not only the community’s present, but also its future. Giving students the desire to solve these problems early on while aligning the information with the state curriculum will make learning meaningful to children. Students are entitled to a reason for what they are learning, and if they can get involved in community projects and help solve real problems, I think that these situations will benefit them for the rest of their lives. This theory relates closely to my personal belief that all members of society should do whatever they can to help improve and actively solve problems in their communities, their countries, and their surroundings. Showing students this idea at a young age will teach children that with a little thinking and a little hard work, they can make a difference! This is important because it involves everyone, and I think the world would be a better place if everybody cared for other people and their communities starting at a young age.
I also take some of my philosophy from progressivism; I think that hands on activities help to demonstrate the concepts that we teach in schools, and I also believe that the more say children have in the content they learn and how they learn it, the more successful the students will be. As I said previously, children need to learn to be effective problem solvers, and I think that if the kids get to choose which problems they are solving they will be more interested in it and willing to learn all of the necessary components. However, I do think that the teacher needs to have a certain extent of control over the classroom, but the students should also be involved in the learning process. My aim as a teacher is to include all of the different learning styles in as many lessons as possible.
I think that the egocentric approach that I have put together will create a sense of community, while showing children that everyone is different and plays an equally important role in the classroom and in the community. Students need to be prepared for the problems of tomorrow that have not yet begun to surface today, the job of the schools, and more specifically, my job as a teacher, is to give the students the necessary tools to solve any problem that may arise in their futures. Someday, our students will be the doctors, teachers, government officials, etc. that we will rely on to take care of and continue on our society; therefore, I feel that the best thing that I can do for my students is to prepare them for the unexpected.
A teacher’s philosophy on education sets the tone for the way learning takes place in the classroom. My personal view of education is an egocentric one, and I like to believe that it changes and develops over time as I grow in my profession. For me, the most basic element of teaching is realizing that every student is different; they learn differently, have different strengths and weaknesses, and they will be interested in many different things.
The varied needs of every student in every classroom calls for a very special way of teaching. The best tool that I can give my students is knowledge, and to teach my students how to integrate that knowledge into everyday thinking and decision making. With education, one can do anything! I want to show our future generations that anything is possible as long as they set their minds to it and are willing to put forth the required amount of effort. Every student should learn how to build upon their strengths and minimize their weaknesses—this will create an overwhelming increase of productive citizens graduating from our public schools and entering the “real world.”
I believe that Social Reconstruction is a theory that holds many valid points. This theory states the children should be educated to learn how to solve the problems in their surrounding communities. I firmly believe that the students of our schools play a big role in not only the community’s present, but also its future. Giving students the desire to solve these problems early on while aligning the information with the state curriculum will make learning meaningful to children. Students are entitled to a reason for what they are learning, and if they can get involved in community projects and help solve real problems, I think that these situations will benefit them for the rest of their lives. This theory relates closely to my personal belief that all members of society should do whatever they can to help improve and actively solve problems in their communities, their countries, and their surroundings. Showing students this idea at a young age will teach children that with a little thinking and a little hard work, they can make a difference! This is important because it involves everyone, and I think the world would be a better place if everybody cared for other people and their communities starting at a young age.
I also take some of my philosophy from progressivism; I think that hands on activities help to demonstrate the concepts that we teach in schools, and I also believe that the more say children have in the content they learn and how they learn it, the more successful the students will be. As I said previously, children need to learn to be effective problem solvers, and I think that if the kids get to choose which problems they are solving they will be more interested in it and willing to learn all of the necessary components. However, I do think that the teacher needs to have a certain extent of control over the classroom, but the students should also be involved in the learning process. My aim as a teacher is to include all of the different learning styles in as many lessons as possible.
I think that the egocentric approach that I have put together will create a sense of community, while showing children that everyone is different and plays an equally important role in the classroom and in the community. Students need to be prepared for the problems of tomorrow that have not yet begun to surface today, the job of the schools, and more specifically, my job as a teacher, is to give the students the necessary tools to solve any problem that may arise in their futures. Someday, our students will be the doctors, teachers, government officials, etc. that we will rely on to take care of and continue on our society; therefore, I feel that the best thing that I can do for my students is to prepare them for the unexpected.