Philosphy of Teaching and Higher Education

The pillars of my educational philosophy are: education should be student-centered; student-educator relationships are essential for student development; students are individuals with different foundations, different needs, and different experiences and must be treated as such; and I must be a reflective practitioner, always seeking to learn and improve.

As a student-centered educator, my role is to instill knowledge, passion, understanding, and confidence in my students. I must do this in an emotionally stable, respectful, and encouraging manner while at the same time challenging my students to accomplish goals and to reach beyond their initial comfort zone. I must make content material relevant and important to the lives of my students, and I must do so in diverse ways in order to effectively reach all types of learners. I believe that effective teaching is not simply a presentation of facts; but it is the purposeful inspiring of a love for learning, thinking, and problem solving, as well as a crucial component to aiding students’ growth in their own knowledge, confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.

To better become student-centered in the classroom, I must be willing to build relationships and keep open communication. By doing this, I am teaching more than content; I am teaching relational skills in a professional format, encouraging creativity and learning, and holding students accountable for their own communication. While I believe there is a definite line in terms of professionalism, I also believe students need to see their educators as honest humans who are also still learning. I believe that students who have a relationship with their instructors learn more, ask better questions, and work harder.

As an English teacher, I have the unique responsibility not only to teach and perfect students’ writing structure, but also to teach them the beauty of articulation and the power of rhetoric. We are able to teach history through literature and teach students how to research and determine what is credible in a time when they are bombarded with opinions. I believe teaching reading comprehension, through both classic and current works, empowers students to stretch their empathy, understanding, and knowledge. I believe that teaching people to understand someone else’s writings, and teaching them how to write their own thoughts effectively, creatively, and professionally will not simply be a foundation for their personal success, but will also be crucial to our success as a community.

Finally, I believe that if I want to encourage my students to be life-long learners, I must set that example. Learning is not confined to curriculum, but should be expanded to see individual needs and cultural reflections. As time progresses, the need of students does as well. As an educator, I must be willing to learn different ways to meet these growing needs by studying student development theories, learning new teaching methods with new technologies, seeking advice from mentors, but perhaps most of all, listening to my students.