Teaching Philosophy
The major concept and guiding principle that shaped my views on being a successful teacher are the numerous teachers I had growing up – from grade school all the way to high school and beyond. These teachers taught me everything I needed to know, not only about the subject they were teaching, but also about what it meant to be a student with goals and ambition for learning. They illustrated what it means to do what you love and inspired me to do the same.
An experience that has made me see teaching more clearly comes from my time as a tutor. I helped about 12 students who were struggling in school due to a language barrier. While I was only their tutor for a short semester, I made a difference in their educational careers. I saw their progress, but more importantly, the students saw their own progress and realized success in school was a tangible goal for them. Then, after my first few experiences of writing a lesson plan and actually teaching a class of third graders, I realized that in order to be a good teacher, I have to know the content so well that I can explain it at least three different ways. In other words, it takes a great deal of preparation and patience, which go far beyond knowledge alone. This realization influenced my decision to become a teacher even more because I developed a newfound respect for teachers. The most influential experience, though, came when a classmate and I had to lead our peers through a lesson as though we were the professors. The part that impacted me most was after the lesson because our peers submitted feedback forms for my partner and me to see and use to develop as teachers. The piece of feedback that sold me on becoming a teacher reads, “… It was very good that you assured us that we would not be judged for sharing our thoughts or experiences. This created a welcoming and comfortable environment.”
As a teacher, my goal is simple: to inspire. I want to inspire students the way my teachers inspired me. I want students to develop a sense of determination and drive to carry them through the years. I also want them to find joy in learning and realize it’s not something they have to do because the teacher said so. Lastly, I want to always have a classroom environment where every student feels safe and is unafraid of speaking up or asking for help.