Teaching Philosophy

The values and beliefs that guide my instructional practice are rooted in who I am as a person. This moral compass encompasses my philosophy about my purpose in life especially in regards to interaction with others. I highly esteem the golden rule of, “treat others the way you want to be treated,” because it gives me humility, empathy, and the ability for reciprocal learning in the classroom. Just because I am the teacher does not mean that I am the only authority of reason and truth; rather analyzing, reflecting on, and improving my instructional practice relies on the very notion that each student brings inherent additive value from their cultural backgrounds that provides opportunities for learning every day.

The principles of culturally responsive teaching, therefore, guide my instructional practice in many ways. Meeting each student in their own emotional and cultural turfs, not through a monolithic Ethnocentric lens, allows me to emulate teaching as a political act. I would like to create real, tangible, accountable change through decolonization of the entire school system; especially decolonizing students’ minds. Furthermore, as a Muslim American with Indian cultural roots, my multilayered identity and experiences as a person of color inspires me to build and sustain that transformational change.