My Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is perhaps the most influential role that any career can
possibly offer. We, as teachers, are able to connect and change the lives of
students. In one sense, teachers are able to change the future generations
at first-hand through teaching. We possess highly sought-after skills and
values such as consideration and kindheartedness. Teachers have a
significant role in helping students; we seek for the benefit of the future
youth by challenging them intellectually. Students learn to transform
themselves through academic and analytical pursuits, which ultimately
shapes their imminent future. Not only does the upcoming generations of
students depend on teachers, but society as a whole relies on teachers to
provide qualified citizens in the work force.
Often times, a student may need a guiding hand to encourage them
towards

push themselves out of their own personal comfort zone.

Students have become complacent with following the norm and settling
with mediocrity; few students possess the innate desire to achieve
excellence. They have not had the opportunity to discover themselves and
find out who they really are. This is where the power of teachers comes into
play. Teachers are obliged to making a difference in their students
academic and personal lives by motivating them to never settle for less. We
have the capability to stimulate student growth and help them recognize
their own unique talents. The teachers ability to have an influential role in
students lives is simply unparalleled.

Each student is entirely unique in their own personal ways. Their

individuality is what creates their personality, which is a beautiful concept
on its own. These students can benefit immensely from a respectful,
sympathetic, and enthusiastic teacher who genuinely cares about their
wellbeing. In certain cases, students may not have the best home
environment; it is with this mindset that the classroom should be a place of
positivity, encouragement, and inspiration. By providing the students with a
safe atmosphere for intellectual growth, it can help them to discover
themselves and mature both socially and emotionally. One of the biggest
deciding factors between an effective teacher and an ineffective teacher
resides in their ability to communicate to the students. They must be
patient, accepting, determined, and firm, all while keeping a friendly and
approachable countenance. The role of a teacher should not be a person
who relays information to their students; instead, the teacher should be a
role model who shows the process of knowledge discovery by providing
opportunities for their students.
The importance of teaching can be attributed to countless lines of
rationale. Personally, I believe that being able to inspire students to perform
to the best of their ability is an extremely rewarding and gratifying act.
Teachers have an exceptional proficiency in determining strengths and
weaknesses in students; we are able to view each student as an individual
part of a widely set classroom. In this sense, it becomes possible to instruct
each student with a varying range of assessment in order to accommodate

to their teaching needs.

My philosophical beliefs regarding teaching

correlate to several famous linguists. These theorists developed innovative

explanations as to why certain teaching methods and approaches work so
well. Although every student is unique in their own way, the concepts that
have been created by theorists such as Bruner can equally apply to all.
Students learn best when they are assigned hands-on activities that build on
their prior knowledge of the subject material (Bruner, 1961). This method is
referred to as learning by discovery, found by Dr. Bruner in 1961. This is
also referred to as expeditionary learning, where students interact with
their setting as a method of instruction (Smith, 2012). Another famous
educator was Dr. Charles Bonwell, who theorized the concept of active
learning. His theory consists of in-class activities that promote student
engagement with one another with the purpose of retaining subject
information (Bonwell, 1991). The immersion that occurs during this
teaching method is very effective as I have both witnessed and experienced
it at first-hand.
The overall objective of my teaching career is to become an effective
communicator, inspirer, and motivator for my students. To not be content
with passive learning, but rather, to actively engage students in their
reading, writing, and learning. They should receive a high quality standard
of instruction and have their minds stimulated intellectually by the subject
material. In order for this to be accomplished, it is necessary to possess two
effective teaching qualities: a thorough understanding of the content and an

ability to efficiently interact with the students. One of my personal goals is

to maintain a sociable and friendly demeanor with my students with the
purpose of maximizing student interest. I want to resemble a figure of
integrity and kindness, rather than somebody who relentlessly pushes them
to their academic limits and causes them to loathe the subject material.
Teachers should be able to accomplish two things when instructing
their students. For one, they should be able to address the diversity of
interests that students have by making the subject material relatable to our
culture. In this sense, the students become absorbed in the content and
have motivation to perform to the best of their ability. Todays society is
fueled by the internet and social media; teachers can utilize these two
outlets to their advantage. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, an
effective teacher will be able to adapt to any student by accommodating to
their own individual learning style. No two students are alike, they will
benefit differently from various teaching methods. Finding an appropriate
technique that best suits each student will result in a positive classroom
environment. A student should be able to have an equal opportunity for
success, so it is the teachers responsibility to provide opportunities to them
through their instruction.
I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in teaching because of my
devout passion towards English literature and reading. Being able to unfold
lessons to perform an analyzation and explain the significance of literary
works of arts is an enjoyment to me rather than actual work. Students

should be aware of the importance of literature and the English language

itself, how it has progressed over the centuries, and how books are essential
for intellectual growth. For example, a novel that I hold very near and dear
to my heart is Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. In high school as I
read it for the first time, the story did not fully appeal to me and I did not
understand its meaning nor was I aware of its significance. During my years
in college, after an in-depth analytical close-reading, this novel became one
of my all-time favorites. I hope to someday be able to teach this story to
students and explain how important and imperative to the chronicle of
English literature.