Kristin Turcovski’s E-Portfolio

Lebanon Valley College

B.S. Music Education 2009, B.A. Music (Instrumental Concentration: Clarinet) 2009

Philosophy

My ultimate goal in the classroom is to learn from my students as I’m teaching them. I believe that the educational system is a constant learning process; that knowledge never stops growing. My goal is to be a strong role model for my students and to make their education important to them, because I also believe that one’s education is what they make of it. I will treat my students with respect and try my best to understand where they are coming from. I will be patient and open-minded whenever they grow angry or upset, and I want to be as flexible and responsible as I can be in order to suit their learning needs. I am looking forward to the opportunity to show my creativity in my classroom and in my lessons, to make it a fun place to be; a place where the students will anticipate with excitement.

 

 

 I want to teach my students the value of music and instill in them a passion that will make them not just performers or musicians, but lifelong supporters and appreciators of music. I believe that music should be accessible to all students. I want to help them connect music with other areas of their lives and, in a constructivist way, allow them to explore music in the classroom in many different ways, for many learning styles.

Should we not be putting all our emphasis on reading, writing and math? The ‘back-to-basics curricula,’ while it has merit, ignores the most urgent void in our present system - absence of self-discipline. The arts, inspiring - indeed requiring - self-discipline, may be more ‘basic’ to our nation survival than traditional credit courses. Presently, we are spending 29 times more on science than on the arts, and the result so far is worldwide intellectual embarrassment.

 

- Paul Harvey - syndicated radio show host