At the core of my identity as an educator is the genuine desire to help my students grow, not just academically, but into the person that they want to be.
I decided to become a teacher because I have always found joy in helping, mentoring, and supporting others. Of course, this meant that it did not take me long to find education as a career path, and subsequently fall in love with it. The connections I have made while both being a student and as a teacher have been some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As such, it was only natural that I would want to spend my life giving back and sharing the support I have received with the next generation of students who need it most.
I believe that the purpose of education is not just to teach certain information but to give students the tools and ability to pursue meaningful goals and to empower them to shape their own futures. My teaching philosophy is not about memorizing facts or hitting arbitrary benchmarks, but about having my students learn how to learn, how to think critically, and how to stay curious, especially when something is challenging or uninteresting. As such, a successful classroom, in my opinion, is not one where all of my students reach the same answer, regardless of its validity, but one where they all feel like their voice matters and that it is a safe place to learn new things.
Students should also feel like their growth matters to us as teachers, since we are such a prominent figure in their day-to-day lives. In order to create this environment, as a teacher, I strive to build authentic relationships with each of my students. Although we have such limited time during a day, the most impactful way we can spend it is by trying to understand who they are, what motivates them, and where they might be struggling. It is really important for me as a teacher to be proactive about when students are having a hard time, since I need them to know that I do see them and that I care about their learning and well-being. It is so critical to work with them step-by-step whenever confusion first arises, since we should be meeting students where they are currently are at, not wait for them to be where the state standards should be.
Ultimately, I just do not want to be someone who delivers content, but be a reliable teacher who shows up, listens, and invests in each of my students; that is me as a teacher.