Profesora Riordan’s Philosophy of Teaching

First and foremost, I feel it is necessary to be passionate about the subject one teaches. If a teacher is inspirational, students will be motivated to succeed in the classroom as well as to become life-long learners. As a Spanish teacher who truly loves the Spanish language and culture, I try to inspire my students each and every day I walk in the classroom. I do this by staying up-beat or, as my students like to say, “loca,” otherwise known as crazy in Spanish. It is not uncommon to see me singing, dancing, or laughing. I also personalize my instruction by relating lessons to the students’ lives. In our technological world, I have been able to make the language and culture real by using the endless resources found on the Internet.

Throughout the years, I have developed a repertoire of hands-on activities that revolves around student-to-student contact during most of the class. This allows me to be a coach who encourages rather than a teacher who only gives direct instruction. I pride myself on constantly learning new techniques and ideas mainly through workshops and through my colleagues. In order to stay current, a teacher must constantly be learning. Taking risks in the classroom with new lessons as well as continually getting student feedback keeps me from getting stagnant and increases student achievement.

Whenever possible, I let my students into my life by telling them quick stories that connect to lessons so that the environment in which I teach is genuine and informal. Creating a safe and personal classroom is integral to promoting comfort when speaking another language. I try to make daily connections with my students by greeting them and saying goodbye to them by name as well as by taking a genuine interest in their lives. Current and former students often stop by my room during passing time to talk. After all, it is the personal connections that students remember years after graduating.

Traveling to Spain is another integral part of my teaching that students recall long after they have left the classroom. My fervor for the Spanish language and culture is a direct result of living abroad during my junior year of college. I have incorporated travel as a way to truly encourage students to continue studying Spanish after graduation as well as to inspire them to see more of the world. Traveling and living abroad are two goals that I ultimately want my students to accomplish as a result of having been their teacher. I feel passionately that all students should experience other cultures in order to become effective global citizens. Being a language teacher is a huge responsibility in this interconnected world in which we live, but the rewards are endless. Since I get to share my passion every day with young people, I feel blessed to call myself a teacher. ¡Olé!