As a First-Generation, low-income student, I recognize the power of an equitable education, and it is this commitment that drives me to pursue the Art of Teaching program at SLC. I want to inspire children to pursue their love of learning to make confident, autonomous decisions. This knowledge and framework have only been propelled by my academic journey at Sarah Lawrence, where I studied psychology and child development through the lens of identity and education. My coursework has taught me that children's contributions to the classroom are truly invaluable. More specifically, I examined how a child’s life experiences are shaped by family and schooling, deepening my understanding of the cultural and social challenges children navigate in their earliest years. This transformation would not have been possible without my exposure to Sarah Lawrence’s Early Childhood Center (ECC), where I experienced firsthand how imaginative play enhanced children’s social competence, from one child’s eagerness to be “Captain” to another child's courage to overcome the unknown. Witnessing what I learned happen before my eyes was ultimately transformative. I came to understand a teacher's role in nurturing helpful, cooperative students by fostering their creativity. Most importantly, these experiences have inspired me to be an educator who values the gifts each child brings to the classroom while establishing a class rooted in equity and community. Moreover, my work at the Infant Development and Environmental Analysis (IDEA) lab has further shown me how children learn and analyze the world through play. My experiences informed me in moments such as when I created a custom schedule for a particular student who struggled with adjusting, or when I helped children voice their feelings and concerns to settle disputes. I realized that, unlike what most people assume, teaching is not an act that dictates; rather, it takes form in the gracefulness of selflessness and patience that gently guide children along a path of discovery. These practices have extended into my other work with children outside of the ECC and form the basis of my teaching philosophy. As a Weekend School teacher, I encourage students to think critically about their classroom experience from the very beginning. I ask them to curate a set of classroom rules based on what they value most and foster an environment where they try to solve problems on their own. Additionally, as a psychoeducational tutor, I worked with then 10-year-old David (pseudonym), who struggled with literacy and concentration skills while also dealing with ADHD. From day one, I focused on David’s individual psychological and educational needs to best support him. When we initially started, he had a clear lack of confidence in his reading skills and in his general attitude toward learning. Over time, David became eager and determined to learn as his reading skills improved by two grade levels. We practiced reading every day without fail until we finished a collection of short stories together, which was nearly 600 pages. Now, we have read four chapter books altogether and are on our fifth one. Not only did we form a stronger bond, but throughout it all, he realized the power of reading, and I, the value of a student-teacher relationship. These outcomes were made possible because we all worked as a team, with students, parents, and teachers all willing to learn from one another. This is the type of communal support that both teachers and students deserve to have through a proactive, collaborative approach. Through my research and practical experience, I have built a strong foundation of theory and research, which I plan to build upon as an incoming student in SLC's MsED program.