Teaching Philosophy
I come to the teaching profession after many years in the non-academic world, although those years have involved both learning and teaching in a different setting. I am a parent to five children/step-children, between the ages of 8 and 15, and I have coached youth sports for ten years. Through these experiences, I have been touched by the realization that I have great ability to influence the life of a child. What sometimes seems like a small gesture on our part can have a lasting impact on a child, positively or negatively. As I watch these youngsters grow and become adolescents and young adults, I realize the responsibility that we, as adults, have to equip them with the skills necessary to find success in the modern world.
Life in the modern world moves at a fast pace and the distractions are plentiful. Education does not seem to be the priority it once was. Many of our youth are growing up without a clear sense of respect, responsibility, motivation or goals. I come to teaching because I want to help prepare our youth for the future. I want to use my life experience to teach children not only the important subject matter, but also the equally important life skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, self-motivation, the power of choice, and goal setting.
With mastery of the subject matter and the results of standardized testing being major focuses of public education, it is my responsibility to ensure that students succeed in these areas. This success starts by creating a learning atmosphere that is built on respect and trust by getting to know my students. A good teacher understands that students learn in many different ways, and that no one teaching method will suit all students. One of the first things a teacher should do is get to know the learning styles of the students in the classroom, so that the lessons can be designed or modified to meet every student’s needs. There are many diagnostic tools available to determine the learning styles of students and I will utilize these to help determine which areas I may need to focus my lessons on for a particular group or for individual students in my classroom. Of course, these tools are just tools, I must also get to know my students on a personal level and develop a relationship of mutual understanding with them.
The foundation of the positive learning environment is to model organization, time management and respect for others to my students and expect the same from them. Maintaining this culture of success requires establishing a classroom management system that is clear, consistent and fair to all. My plan allows me to be calm and assertive without resorting to outdated tactics that might lead to the humiliation of the student. I will present a consistent message that disruptions affecting student learning time are not acceptable. I will teach the power of choice and the concept of consequences, both good and bad. To help provide motivation, I will give incentives for encouraging desired behaviors and eliminating undesired behaviors. This will help create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning.
When teaching the subject matter, I will clearly define the educational objectives and design my lesson plans to align the instruction with the objective. I will use my real-world experience to make the content relevant. I will use technology to the most practical extent possible in order to make learning interactive and appeal to students’ “digital” lifestyle. I will teach the relationship between effort and achievement and let all students know that they are capable of succeeding in school and in life. I will present students with the idea that people learn in many different ways and at different paces. I will utilize various strategies to differentiate my instruction to appeal to the different learning modalities. This approach not only benefits students by teaching them in ways that feel natural and comfortable for them, but also exposes them to alternate ways of viewing things. They will not always be presented with information in a format that matches their individual learning style, and I believe it is important that they be equipped with the skills to successfully process information regardless of how it is presented. I will challenge students at every ability level to try harder and provide recognition of the associated effort.
Flexibility is another necessity in creating the successful learning atmosphere. I am calm under stress and willing to change my approach to ensure that the goals are met. Just because I have predetermined a path to get there does not mean there will be no bumps along the way. I adopt an attitude of flexibility with respect to teaching the curriculum, to the students, as well as to my teaching philosophy. A good teacher knows when it is time to change direction and try something new, just as they know when it is right to push on a little further with more of the same.
Assessment of student progress toward content mastery is a continuous process. I will perform informal, formative assessment constantly during instruction by utilizing various comprehension checks and questioning strategies, and carefully develop more formal assessments to ensure they align with the objective and associated instruction. One of the most frustrating things for students is to be tested on material that does not match what was taught in class. Should students’ learning style or pace keep them from achieving mastery as scheduled, I will provide assistance in the form of outside of class tutoring, supplemental reading assignments or projects and retesting (in accordance with district policies). The ultimate goal is for students to achieve mastery by the end of the class, not at any specific point beforehand.
As stated earlier, teaching skills for success in life is equally important as the subject matter skills. I will integrate the teaching of many of these skills into my content instruction, and include topics such as goals, and how they can help an individual make better choices, into daily class discussions. In addition, I will use “games” to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and use periodic projects to teach responsibility and the relationship between effort and achievement. Students will leave my classroom with tools to help them achieve success, both in school and in life.
I come to teaching because I want to make a difference in the lives of children and help them become successful and productive members of society. My education, both the formal (teacher certification) and the informal (life experience), has empowered me to believe that this is possible, and I am inspired to make this my calling.