Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is society’s fundamental act of service. When matched with communicative competence; whether speaking, listening, reading or writing— teaching language can engender real-world success. Linguistic connection can both refine and edify the human soul, initiating and engaging interactions which deepen relationships in meaningful ways. As a teacher, I look for a way — for every student — to mount knowledge, by learning, by finding and creating new content that resonates on a personal level. I know that I have done my job when a student can teach others.

The qualities of a great teacher are self-evident. Students are best directed when a teacher understands how the soul must speak, not in dead terminology and archaic grammatical patterns, but in vibrant and joyous compendiums of knowledge built on competent understandings of shared experience. I strive to teach through a mastery of language, providing rich content for multiple audiences learning in the same shared moment. When my words resonate, not in spite of, but because of scrutiny I am able to teach a student’s inner skeptic and critic. When I read, I want to hear; and when I write, I want to speak. If I can teach students in their language or the language of a culture, then I can truly serve more than myself, I can serve humanity.

“Philology” according to Alton Becker is an indispensable function of language, it occurs when people work together to establish collective understanding for a group to transcend time and space. A generic definition of philology is that of a branch of knowledge that “deals with the structure, historical development, and relationships of a language or languages.” Becker’s plea to his audience was never esoteric, mystic, or surreal. He shared knowledge which was never generic, rather, technical and meaningful. He wanted to inspire and connect students together. So, their shared experiences enabled cultural competence and individual mastery. I identify with him in the concrete nature of linguistic education and the inclusion of the abstract. A text, ancient, lost to antiquity … is not lost … if an audience will strive to see text as an expression of linguistic experience. My personal philosophy can be summed up in a word: perspective. Once a thought becomes an act of speech, a written word — then a moment has been created and awaits resolution.

Students are journeyers discovering the moments of others. As an audience, a hearer, a reader, a student, a partner, a doer; they can provide closure to the initiation of created texts. They can turn the expressions of another human into dialogue.

I plan lessons and curriculum to encourage students to mentally travel, to span whatever length an epiphany requires, no matter the terrain that could abash the little bird. I seek those who desire to travel great distances, accumulating a surplus of insight and dive to every necessary mental extent depth. For this reason, I choose to teach English. Not only as an accepted language with nuance beyond translation, but as a living language that speakers, listeners, readers, and writers can build communities. I want the greatest of words to convey the richness of culture. A teacher must conceive of pedagogy in real time — pointing others to the same destination. This is my way. I am what I teach, and in what I teach you can find who I am. Discerning the inconceivable, I plan, prepare, and manage the minute and the exponential. I create lesson plans, carve out curricula, and balance systems of design.