Teaching Philosophy

Becoming a teacher is a journey that never ends. Once you begin on this path, you will continue to change and learn for as long as you teach. Teaching is complicated, and requires you to be open minded, passionate, and willing to help your students prosper. 

I believe:

1. Students are naturally good and trustworthy, if they feel that the teacher is good and trustworthy. They can sense when they are being judged, or under evaluated, and then they act out. A teacher who is understanding and open minded will grow a good relationship with their classes, which in turn encourages good relationships between students. This feeling of a safe and enjoyable class allows for mutual respect and trust between everyone in the room. It is the teachers responsibility to create a good relationship with the class and create that safe environment, so that no students feel the need to act out or be disrespectful to others. 
2. Teachers are meant to be guides for students to learn on their own, not just sources of endless answers.  If teachers just give out explanations and answers to every question, students will never feel challenged. They will never be curious or dig deeper, and they will never be motivated to discover new information on their own. Teachers should always attempt to motivate students to continually wonder and challenge themselves. Learning takes place not only in the classroom, but everywhere students go. If even one of their teachers can encourage them and keep them curious about the world, it will benefit them positively outside of school as well. 
3. It is important to have a variety of learning strategies in a class. Large and small group discussion, individual work, projects, videos, and hands on learning are all different ways in which certain students learn. As a teacher, you should try to incorporate as many of these into your class as possible, so that every type of learner has a chance to understand the topic completely. 
4. There is more to schooling that just mastering content. Yes, it is important for students to learn the content, because it gives them a basis of knowledge off of which they can continue to learn. However, there is so much more involved in their twelve years of school then meets the eye. During their time spent in school, they are continually growing, changing, learning, and finding themselves. The years they spend here help them decide who they want to be and what they want to do with their life, which is equally as important as mastering the required information. Teachers must remember that they are teaching people, not just content.