Teaching Philosophy
As an educator, my goal is twofold: I will challenge students to think critically and assist in their development as empathetic, kind human beings.
When I began my student teaching, however, I was inspired by a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Now, though, I see huge problems with that sentiment. I deeply believe that every student has the potential for success and it's my job as a teacher to help bring that out. I also believe that students have multiple talents and every student has areas where they excel more naturally. The quote, though, implies that students can't grow. If a fish will never climb, the implication is that students who feel discouraged in my class just aren't good at English and are innately skilled in something else.
This could not be further from what I believe.
I believe that teacher's need to emphasize the value of work. We need to show students that, if they work hard and apply themselves, they can master any skill. The best way to assist in their academic development is to emphasize critical thinking skills. Students should be asked to do the bulk of the intellectual work during any given lesson. They need to be tasked with making their own meaning. A teacher's job shouldn't be to tell students what something means or why something is important. Teachers need to guide students to their own conclusions about the world.
Another piece of this equation is that students should be held to a high standard: they need to be challenged if they're to be engaged with and benefit from my instruction. And while I insist on challenging every student, that instruction will be differentiated to the specific needs of my individual students. Every student has a right to be intellectually challenged, which means that I need to find ways to meet them where they are in their intellectual development.
In order to foster their growth as caring people, I will be a good role model, a reminder every day of what it looks like to treat others with compassion. When they treat each other disrespectfully, I will ask them to think about why they did that and how it must have made the other person feel. I will treat them with respect, remembering that everyone has their own set of problems when they walk in my door.
Ultimately, the two pieces of my job as a teacher are most effective when they’re interwoven. My happiest days are when I can work in discussions of respect, empathy, and civility while engaging my students in challenging academics. I’m still looking for a quote, though, that encompasses all of that.
When I began my student teaching, however, I was inspired by a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Now, though, I see huge problems with that sentiment. I deeply believe that every student has the potential for success and it's my job as a teacher to help bring that out. I also believe that students have multiple talents and every student has areas where they excel more naturally. The quote, though, implies that students can't grow. If a fish will never climb, the implication is that students who feel discouraged in my class just aren't good at English and are innately skilled in something else.
This could not be further from what I believe.
I believe that teacher's need to emphasize the value of work. We need to show students that, if they work hard and apply themselves, they can master any skill. The best way to assist in their academic development is to emphasize critical thinking skills. Students should be asked to do the bulk of the intellectual work during any given lesson. They need to be tasked with making their own meaning. A teacher's job shouldn't be to tell students what something means or why something is important. Teachers need to guide students to their own conclusions about the world.
Another piece of this equation is that students should be held to a high standard: they need to be challenged if they're to be engaged with and benefit from my instruction. And while I insist on challenging every student, that instruction will be differentiated to the specific needs of my individual students. Every student has a right to be intellectually challenged, which means that I need to find ways to meet them where they are in their intellectual development.
In order to foster their growth as caring people, I will be a good role model, a reminder every day of what it looks like to treat others with compassion. When they treat each other disrespectfully, I will ask them to think about why they did that and how it must have made the other person feel. I will treat them with respect, remembering that everyone has their own set of problems when they walk in my door.
Ultimately, the two pieces of my job as a teacher are most effective when they’re interwoven. My happiest days are when I can work in discussions of respect, empathy, and civility while engaging my students in challenging academics. I’m still looking for a quote, though, that encompasses all of that.