My Teaching Philosophy

‘Great teachers,’ as novelist Pat Conroy writes, ‘fill you up with hope and shower you with a thousand reasons to embrace all aspects of life.’ On the face of it, such a depiction of great teachers may seem overly lofty. Today it is almost passé to regard educators as towering beacons, lighthouses of inspiration ready to guide students towards the illumination of knowledge and understanding. Yet it would do us well to recall that teaching is itself a vocation of ideals, one practised by visionaries who believe in their students and demand the best of them, regardless of the obstacles encountered.

As an educator, I strive to resemble the ‘great teacher’ that Conroy describes in his memoir—the English teacher whose words were ‘oxygen, water and fire’ to him. Underlying this vision is my firm belief that the study of literature is the study of life. English / Literature is not an impractical course of study but a discipline that is directly useful and applicable to our lives. Whether in terms of understanding others through character analysis, or recognizing the roots of conflicts around us, or articulating our innermost emotions, Literature is practical, even therapeutic.

To share this love of literature and language, I aim to be a teacher who piques the curiosity of students by instilling an enthusiasm for words. Besides equipping students with essential communication skills, I seek to imbue in them lifelong values of empathy, social responsibility and continuous learning. English classes should be knowledge-driven, but it should not involve the mere transmission of ideas to passive auditors or the regurgitation of mundane propositions. Rather, it is the kindling of a passion for words, driven by a conviction that effective teaching depends on close engagement with students’ lived experiences. How does this vision translate into actual practice in the classroom? I suggest three main ways:

Firstly, I facilitate effective teaching and learning by catering specifically to the profile of the class that I teach. By leveraging on students’ interests – including books, music, films, social media – I can bring their world into the classroom to activate their existing schema and demonstrate the relevance of lessons. Through activities such as drama games and role-play, as well as the use of visual aids, I engage and motivate students to learn. As far as possible, I conduct collaborative activities that directly aid experiential learning and improve interpersonal skills.

Secondly, I work proactively with colleagues to share resources and expand my repertoire of teaching techniques. In the process, I aim to encourage a supportive learning culture by serving as a role model for students. Based on William Glasser’s model of discipline, I make a conscious effort to practice the seven connecting habits: caring, listening, supporting, respecting, encouraging, trusting, and negotiating difficulties.

Thirdly, I monitor student understanding and promote quality assessment. While summative assessment has its place, I would stress the need for consistent formative assessment to determine gaps in understanding and tailor lessons accordingly. To stretch students cognitively, I aim to engage them with an appropriate balance of higher- and lower-order thinking questions.

Ultimately, I teach because I stand by the Teacher’s Pledge—which is not mere rhetoric but a genuine expression of commitment to the profession. Like a life coach, I seek to be disciplined but not harsh, compassionate but not passive, calm but not aloof, and knowledgeable but not pretending to omniscience.

Good teaching, as Parker J. Palmer would remind us, cannot be reduced to technique but must come from the identity and integrity of the teacher. In my classroom, learning is contingent on a disciplined but dynamic process of dialogue and inquiry. It is an active conversation, inviting students to explore ideas, to stretch each other cognitively, and to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world.