Teaching Philosophy
My role as an educator begins with understanding my students and their needs so that I can support them in their pursuits, effectively communicate and delight in English, writing, and literature with them, and encourage their creative potential. I want to see each student as a whole person and support and advocate for him or her in his or her extracurricular activities, college and career pursuits, and personal passions. I believe that every student is a valuable asset in my classroom and has potential to grow and to flourish in their learning. I aspire to create a classroom environment where I come alongside students to help them engage with the curriculum and to build on their background knowledge and talents. I want my classroom to be a place where students are respectful and compassionate towards their classmates, courageous and hardworking in their commitment to the material, humble and forgiving towards others and themselves, passionate about exploring new ideas and understanding the beauty of art, and honest and wise in their choices. The classroom should be a safe community where students can support each other in their learning and push each other towards their goals. I seek to equip my students with essential skills such as a clear understanding of English grammar, of effective writing techniques, of professional communication skills, and of respectful methods of providing constructive feedback. Knowledge of these literacy skills is key to their flourishing as future professionals in our information rich society. Additionally, I believe that literature and writing are gateways for students to explore the world, to find delight in art, and to exercise their creative capabilities. Reading poetry and novels opens students up to the perspectives of others by placing them in fictional and nonfictional settings that can be fantastical or very different from their home culture. These different settings expand students’ mental and cultural horizons providing them with an opportunity to appreciate and to delight in the nuances of someone else’s art and making them more compassionate and understanding towards others’ cultures and struggles. Through creative, persuasive, expository, narrative, and descriptive writing students can engage their own inventive potential by practicing skills of synthesizing information, developing an argument, creating a story, and expressing themselves. These receptive and productive skills of reading and writing teach students how to learn from and how to celebrate art as well as how to communicate effectively. Literature circles and class discussions also equip students with critical listening skills and the ability to clearly express their ideas which prepares them to be better employees, coworkers, parents, and friends. Another important method of learning that I desire share with my students is experiential learning. I want to provide opportunities for students to interact with literature outside of the classroom such as attending plays or poetry recitations, visiting author residences, and learning about publishing and libraries. These cultural experiences will help students to tangibly understand and to apply their knowledge which reinforces their learning. As a professional educator, my goal is to serve my students by being both a personal caring teacher and an academic caring teacher who encourages students in their daily lives, provides effective instruction to equip them for the future, and supports them in unlocking their creative potential.