Teaching Philosophy

 Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I knew that I wanted to help people and make a difference in the world. It was only in high school that I realized my dream was to become a teacher. I always enjoyed learning and discovering new things, but it was one of my teachers that led me on the path to becoming a teacher. They were always so supportive and encouraging of every student, and they made a huge impact on the lives of everyone in their classroom. Myself included. They made me realize that I wanted to do the same for others. 

    My personal philosophy of education is that it needs to be student-centered, engaging, supportive, and flexible to create the best learning environment for every student. This means that the classroom environment and the teaching strategies I use need to be as diverse as the students I will be teaching. My goal as a teacher is to create a safe, comfortable learning environment for every student, in which they can explore their personalities, learning styles, and dreams for the future. It is within the classroom that students can get some of their primary exposure to inclusivity, compassion, and citizenship as they interact with others from different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, genders, and belief systems (Fiume, 2005). That is one of my main goals as an educator, to promote citizenship and personal growth along with educational and academic achievement. I believe that it is my job as a teacher to teach the whole student, not just their academic needs. Every student has their own strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and dreams and it is my job as a teacher to help them strive to make themselves the best person they can be, not just the best student they can be. 

    My goal within my educational career is to become a high school English teacher, with the potential to someday expand into the realm of higher education. I want to be a teacher who helps students see beyond assignments, deadlines, and grades and help them realize their own potential as people. I think the best way a teacher can do this is to foster a student’s ability to connect to the world around them. I think the best way for a teacher to accomplish this is through engaging, hands-on activities that spark the curiosity of the students while finding some way to make the instruction and concepts relevant to the student’s life beyond the classroom walls. Through social interaction and collaborative learning experiences, students can turn consent and instruction into knowledge with a personal value to each of them (Lassonde, 2009). This personal connection to learning can not be the sole responsibility of the student. It is up to the teacher to model good learning practices and techniques that the students can then apply and benefit from. As an English teacher, I would accomplish this by “going beyond the purpose” of reading and showing students how to “probe the possibilities of meaning, understanding, and connections to the world” (Lassonde, 2009).  It is through the modeling of these ideas and the experiential learning opportunities I plan to provide that the students will be aided in the process of finding meaning and value in their education. 

    My ultimate goal as a teacher is to have a passion for learning in each of my students. While I hope I can help every student find value in academic learning, I understand that it may not always be the prerogative or desire of a student to invest their energy into the world of academia. This is where my belief in teaching the whole student enters, as I believe that even students with little to no interest in academics still have an area or topic in which they can excel at learning. It is my desire to help students explore who they are as people and find these areas of excellence, which I firmly believe exist within every student and learner, regardless of their circumstances. I hope to one day become for a student what my teacher in high school was for me, a driving force and motivator to discover my dreams and develop the confidence to pursue them.

Fiume, P. (2005). “Constructivist theory and border pedagogy foster diversity as a resource for learning.” The Community College Enterprise, 11(2), 51-64. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/constructivist-theory-border-pedagogy-foster/docview/218813165/se-2?accountid=28089 

Lassonde, C. A. (2009). “Transforming philosophy and pedagogy through critical inquiry.” The New England Reading Association Journal, 44(2), 41-50.