Teaching Philosophy
Within my classroom I strive to extend my role in my students’ lives, serving as not just their English teacher but as a mentor and guide. I work to develop trust and respect between my students in order to establish environment that is secure to ask them to share their personal thoughts, ideas, fears, beliefs, and do so with poise and clarity no matter the medium with which they present. The English classroom has the potential to be open-ended, experimental, and flexible which allows opportunities for all types of learning to take place in my classroom, with a focus on group work and discussion-based learning. I work to create these opportunities daily and take time to emphasize a variety of themes, incorporate relevant texts and, most importantly, offer ample time for the students to produce writings that range from expressive and creative to argument and academic.
While I acknowledge that every one of my students will come into my classroom with their own set of needs and expectations for me as a teacher, I strive to be an approachable, flexible and creative teacher who my students can place their trust in. My role in the classroom is that of a facilitator, not just of their academic education and pursuits but also of their recognition of themselves as strong individuals. In my classroom, I accommodate my teaching to address the learning styles of my students and strive to create lessons that meet not only their needs but their interests as well. Collaboration and communication with my colleagues also guides and assists me in creating the most successful and effective environment for my students. Being able to engage my students by getting them excited and interested in the material is something that is very important to me. I also endeavor to utilize a variety of digital technologies, as a pedagogical tool that they are familiar with, to draw them in further and engage them. My students are exposed to technological formats for learning and creating their own work throughout many of our lessons and units. This exposure and practice, in English class, as well as throughout the other content areas, has a significant impact on students' learning and ability to progress with these technological tools in and out of the classroom.
My education as an undergraduate, teaching intern, and master’s student has guided me and given me the tools to become a stronger teacher while also offering me new perspectives of my ever-shifting role as a learner and educator. The classroom that I work to establish every year is not a place where I stand at the front of the room and tell my students how to be or what all of the answers are. I work to create a collaborative space that allows my students to offer input, question and confront new ideas and perspectives, and work individually as well as collaboratively to find their answers. I have a passion for English and I want to be able to share that love and interest with my students in hopes that, if nothing more, they will be better equipped to understand and appreciate it. That is what I feel my job is; to present the material in the best possible way for the students I encounter in each individual classroom. My role is to learn from them as much as they learn from me and I often find myself learning from my students much more than I could ever teach them.
In working with students from all backgrounds and a wide range of skill and ability levels, I work to always stay true to my convictions regarding the individuality of my students and their needs as well as to provide them with the most effective, individualized, and useful learning environment that I can. As I continue in teaching and learning I hope to continue to extend my understanding of new and useful strategies and techniques to use in my classroom. My colleagues, students, studies and professional development will all continue to serve me in these pursuits. I plan on continuing along a path of lifelong education because, while I may be a teacher, I don’t intend on putting aside my role as a student in both formal and informal settings. I believe that, for me, I will only be successful, and my students will benefit the most, if I am able to align and maintain both roles.
Attribution: Personal Image