Teaching Philosophy

As an English teacher, I am committed to empowering students by giving them the tools necessary to critique society and challenge the master narrative; I do this by integrating social justice-driven literature into the classroom and offering students opportunities to express their voices in writing. Through student-centered, culturally responsive pedagogy, my students know their diverse identities are respected and valued in my classroom. Students thrive in spaces where they know their opinions matter. This is also why I prioritize building learning partnerships; I share parts of myself through written models, allowing myself to be open with students and inviting them to do the same during the year as we form authentic relationships. Aiming to create a caring space where all students are valued, I approach my teaching practice and continued work by using a humanistic approach, which allows me to root my work in one fundamental truth: every student is a complex and evolving human being.  

I set my students up for success by holding them to high expectations. I offer the scaffolds they need to master the material on their own. These scaffolds promote metacognitive skills that transform students into independent learners. I ask students to become agents of their own learning by sharing daily objectives with them – understanding the larger purpose behind my instruction leads to authentic engagement and higher-order learning. 

During student teaching, I created a student-centered environment through writing, reading, and community-building practices that offer space for students to share their funds of knowledge. Students learn best in an academic environment that has built a strong community, so I emphasize setting norms early in my classroom. These expectations prompt students to seek to understand where others are coming from and approach misunderstandings with curiosity. This curiosity and open-mindedness are what lead to higher-level learning. In English classes, students must feel comfortable being vulnerable to some degree. My ability to create space for this vulnerability and respect is necessary for students to feel comfortable questioning abstract ideas such as justice and fairness -- to bring in their funds of knowledge. 

The culturally responsive environment I foster encourages students to ask the questions they’ve been asking themselves aloud in the classroom. Meaning is made from engagement with a text. I encourage students to analyze society, a necessary skill for navigating life and being active citizens. By reading imaginative literature, students are able to learn empathy and other ways of being. While student teaching, I purposefully chose a target text, Antigone, that dealt with issues that are still relevant today. We analyzed the power upheld by government structures and debated when one should reject the status quo to bring true justice and change. Through the curriculum, students use their own language to critique society. Reflecting on one’s own life builds understanding in the English classroom. 

Writing practices I facilitated to highlight students’ funds of knowledge were asking them to create “Hands” stories and engage in epistolary writing. These practices were stepping stones to prepare students to write a larger narrative in which they communicated a message related to loyalty. Through “Hands” stories, students shared a memory or personal experience that was important to their identities. Students added sensory details and important events to hand-silhouettes which offered a framework to begin writing their stories. By allowing students to write about a topic of their choosing, I created a student-centered environment. Freedom and choice, innate in writing, are crucial to student learning. Through epistolary writing exercises, they wrote about cultural practices, families, and values. Not only were these activities enjoyable for students, but they were also an opportunity for students to learn about essential characteristics of narrative writing in a non-traditional, engaging manner. 

Centering students is something that I value because it shows them that their voices matter. I believe every class should offer an opportunity for students to act as leaders and take charge of their own education.