“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” ~John Dewey
My teaching philosophy is a result of my education and experience. As a life-long learner, I know education opens the door to a world of opportunities. While attending my formal education, I also worked. Through the hands-on learning and collaborative experiences, my learning included skills that cannot be learned in a book. As a teacher, I encourage a love of learning, guide my students to learn by doing, inspire them to take responsibility for their own education, cultivate creativity, innovation and curiosity, push them to take risks and think outside the box, all while searching for their passion and individuality. My enthusiasm for the content and learning is contagious. I motivate the students through experiences, using a variety of resources in their learning. I help to guide them to their full potential, ultimately becoming productive citizens in our society. I stress that learning is a process that never ends.
Every classroom presents a unique community of students that vary in abilities, learning styles and backgrounds. My goal is to learn each student’s abilities and interests, understand what motivates them, while being cognizant of important life experiences. I use the knowledge to determine how each student learns best and adjust my teaching strategies accordingly. I create a safe learning environment in my classroom, so every student feels comfortable in asking a question, presenting an idea, taking a risk and sharing an experience, in turn enriching everyone’s learning. The students learn to respect one another’s opinions and embrace the differences in all of us.
I set high expectations for my students and support them in reaching their goals. The expectations and goals will not be unrealistic, but will challenge and empower the students to take ownership of their education. I encourage my students to form their own connection with the content. We focus on discovering connections between the past and the present, understanding how the world today has been shaped by history. I allow my students to take a topic, research, discuss and develop their own ideas and thoughts. Then I guide them in supporting and defending what they believe, while still respecting that other people’s opinions can be different. I honor courage and determination in learning and growing.
I am very committed to providing a learning environment that is engaging and rigorous, one that empowers both student and teacher in their learning. I provide the opportunity for individual discovery, open sharing and group learning. Keeping the diverse needs of my students in mind, I utilize a variety of teaching strategies. The focus of my classrooms to date have been project-based, for authentic hand-on learning experiences. I use other strategies such as visual presentations, jigsaws, think/pair share, round robins, and group discussions. There are situations that warrant the need for lectures, but those lectures are usually integrated with discussions. I use a variety of resources, from primary source texts to images and cartoons. I utilize guest speakers to bring the content alive through their personal experiences. I believe that technology is one of the most important tools I have as a teacher. Today’s society is infused with technology which provides us with a very rich database of information and learning opportunities. The students are growing up with this technology and I use the technology to connect with them. Using resources such as documentaries, audio clips, and pictures from the Internet can add interest and impact to lessons but they are also important in differentiation for different learning styles and abilities.
I believe my creativity and flexibility are two very important attributes that give me an advantage in creating a successful learning environment. As a teacher, I am creative in my planning and classroom management. I have experienced the importance in being flexible to making changes and adjustments, to activities, the schedule, and rules and procedures. Adapting to the unexpected happenings that are consistently part of the classroom is crucial to the success of the class and great skill to model for the students. For example, I move faster through content that the students have grasped or slow down and take a step back to find a different way to bring understanding. Keeping the learning authentic often requires creativity. By applying the content to real world problems or making the subject relevant to the student’s life or interests, I keep the students engaged. Creativity in the arrangement of desks and even periodic changes to the layout to accommodate the activity of the day, impact the engagement, learning and behaviors of the students.
I am an optimist, who believes that everything is possible if you believe and work hard. I am compassionate, strong, organized, dedicated and determined to share my passion for history and learning. I smile and use humor to engage my students. I solicit feedback from peers, administrators and my students; using the critiques to continuously improve as a teacher and keep up with the needs of my students. Teaching is not just a job but my passion. My greatest satisfaction comes in the little moments, such as a student who has been struggling with a concept finally understanding, the whole class actively participating in an activity, or a simple thank you from a student. My greatest reward as teacher has been in the creation of two Makerspaces, both of which became a place where students want to be even when not required.