Teaching Philosophy

When I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree in English, I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do or become in life.   I had an idea about possibly being a librarian or threw around some other ideas, but nothing really appealed to me.  I struggled with a string of odd jobs, such as a marketing professional, an administrative assistant, and a nanny but, tt was while I was a nanny when I discovered my passion for teaching.  I have always been passionate about learning, self-discovery, and exploration, but it had never occurred to me that I could teach and instill these same values in which I am passionate about.  Thus began my endeavor in the career of teaching.

My philosophy on teaching is attributed to and based upon the ideology that each student is an individual and each student has their own individual strengths and skills.  I look up to educators such as Sir Ken Robinson, who believes, as I do, that not all students fit into a mold and each student needs differentiation in order to learn their best.  I know and believe that all students are capable of learning.  Each student is capable of contributing to a learning dialogue, which I feel is a vital tool for learning.  I believe all students have their own insights and perspectives. I believe each student’s individual life experience does affect their learning and how they apply academic material to their own lives.

I believe in valuing my students’ individuality.  I believe in differentiating my classroom to meet the needs of all my students.  I have experienced the importance of differentiating.  In my practicum experience, I was able to help my students interpret poetry through creative acting and movement interpretation.  I believe that these alternative forms of assessment are essential, and that teaching and learning needs to be continually innovative in order to keep students engaged.  I will constantly educate myself to ensure that I am aware of new and innovative classroom strategies that facilitate student learning. I believe in creating a stimulating classroom atmosphere that fosters learning and creativity.   

I believe that information taught in the classroom is lost on the students if they cannot apply it to their life and experiences.  Students learn best through experimenting and real world application.  They stay engaged and learn best when they connect learning to something they know or value.  Because of this belief, I will lead my students through subject matter and academia, to self-discovery and real world application. This belief will also ensure that I get to know all my students on an individual level.  I will need to know their interests, learning styles, and backgrounds.  I plan on incorporating as much hands-on activities as possible in my classrooms to ensure that the connection between academic learning and real life application is not lost on my future students.  I want to develop a curriculum around my students’ interests which will stimulate their passion to learn

Most importantly, I want to instill respect in my students.  I want lessons in respect to start in my classroom and then infiltrate into my students reality.  I know, understand, and respect that not all of my students are going to be successful, but if I can teach respect through academic lessons and classroom matter, then I am confident my students can be respectful outside of the classroom and learn how to be respectful citizens.  I believe I can mold my students into better citizens by igniting and fueling them intellectually, emotionally, and socially through their learning experiences.  I believe that through modeling respect I can help students develop respect for themselves, others, and their community.

I believe in teaching the golden rule and through teaching respect, and tolerance for one another students will open their minds to learning new content and discovering new ideas about the world around them.  I want my students to care and be compassionate members of society.  I want my students to learn how to give back.  I want to go beyond the curriculum.  I want to provide my students with a safe learning environment where trust is paramount. I want to make a difference by having my students make a difference.