Failure Is Not an Option

My name is Denise Royal, I am currently a remedial reading teacher at Edison Middle School located in Houston, Texas. I have been teaching for the past seven years in the Houston area. My certification is in the area of elementary education grades 1-8th and reading grades 1-8th. I spend everyday teaching lessons to students; some lessons are intricately planned and others are creative ideas of last minute thoughts, reflections, or concerns. I feel that teaching is far more than just walking into a classroom with a group of students. Everyday is a learning experience, not only for the students but for the teacher as well. Every lesson I feel should contain a clear purpose, actively engage all students, cater to all learning styles, and challenge students with higher level thought questions.

My philosophy of education is “Failure Is Not An Option”. I take this statement seriously everyday I walk into my classroom with my students. I provide support and as many resources as possible to help them understand that “All Children Can Learn”. These two simple statements are what motivated me to take the next step to become a principal. As principal, I would be able to make decisions and provide a positive learning environment to all students, and to help them understand the importance of obtaining a good education and making sure all their needs are met.

I am committed to becoming a future principal because I want to be able to give teachers and staff support and resources that are needed to run an effective classroom and school. As a current teacher, support from my administration and resources the school provide are very important to me. I believe if your staff is happy, motivated, and satisfied, they won’t mind going over and beyond to make sure all students are successful which is the main goal of any school.

There are three goals I would hope to achieve as a future principal. The goals are as follows: (1) Incorporating learning beyond the classroom, (2) Creating new ways to set goals and challenges for student learning while addressing and respecting all learning styles, and (3) Enhancing teaching methods and strategies that actively involve all learners. These goals, I feel will reflect a “higher standard of teaching” and put exemplary teaching practices in place. They will be designed with classroom teaching in mind and hopefully can serve as a model for other departments or campuses.

My first goal, incorporating learning beyond the classroom, I would encourage appropriate and strategically planned interaction between students and faculty. Students would then be able to take this interaction and connect it with a learning experience to the world outside the classroom. Some examples I would like to see in place would include video-conferencing, young entrepreneur program, literary club, virtual-reality trips, and robotics/technology design program.

The second goal, creating new ways to set goals and