Teaching Philosophy

On a recent visit home from college, a former student of mine came to see me eager to share stories about her experience at her university. There was one particular class that I had taught on the historic and current day issues of Muslim-Arab immigration in Europe and the US, which, she told me, has continued to have an impact on her. She completed her final paper for that class arguing her stance on the basis of feminist and anti-orientalist theories we had studied together in class. The work she had done in high school, she said, gave her the knowledge and confidence to discuss issues of feminism, immigration, Islamophobia and legacies of colonialism in today's world in a college setting. I was delighted.

Her story is emblematic of the stories of many other students at my school who benefit from a focused inquiry-based education that is built off of teacher knowledge and experience. I believe in developing meaningful and in-depth curriculum that asks questions focused on real people and real issues. Supplemented with rich content and cross-disciplinary thinking, students have an opportunity to engage is authentic research and work that for them is more impactful than cramming for an exam. Students know when they are engaged in meaningful work. Provided with the right tools, they can tackle almost any question and can gain access to a world of knowledge.

One of my overarching goals as a social studies teacher is to engage my students in multicultural awareness. In an effort to widen students’ perspectives on the world I have offered semester-long courses that focus on thematic issues through in depth study of particular regions of the world, like the Caribbean, Southern Africa, Central Europe or Southeast Asia. Most often students cannot pinpoint their own cultural heritage until they have been exposed to a culture other than their own. For students to internalize citizenship, in particular global citizenship, I offer lessons, readings and activities that compel students to reflect on the factors that constitute their own cultural identities. Moreover, I challenge them to consider how their particular positions impact their worldview.

I, myself, am dedicated to continuing to learn about cultures and histories around the world so that I can bring back knowledge to my classroom and school as a whole. I am always in search of ways to enhance my curriculum with new insights from other teachers, experts, new textual resources, art, and films as well as personal experience. Students growing up in urban areas often face more intractable challenges of poverty, health and discrimination than those in a suburban setting. Yet more often than not I see how intelligent, thoughtful and strong they are. There have been many times where a student has challenged me and has forced me to see things more clearly. Sometimes even the simplest questions can be the most complex. One of the reasons I love teaching as much as I do is because I am on a constant quest to learn and there is no one better to teach you than your own students. I am certain of that.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          -- Nitzan