My Teaching PhilosophyMy teaching philosophy is based upon the humanistic Love and Logic philosophies of establishing a mutual respect between my students and myself and showing my students that I care. I challenge my students to take responsibility for their successes as well as their mistakes, I confront misbehavior by giving students a chance to explain themselves rather than having “zero-tolerance” policies, and I establish relationships with my students through conversations and through their writing. I aim to identify students’ strengths and remind them that mistakes are opportunities to grow. Ultimately, my goal is to help my students understand that a tough situation is not the end of the road and they can overcome difficult problems, inside and outside of the classroom. I want to build up their self-concepts so that they can easily identify their strengths and not be afraid to work on their weaknesses.
I believe that effective communication is crucial in every element of life, so students should get the opportunity to learn how to communicate their thoughts through clear, organized writing and speech. I also believe that learning occurs naturally in environments where communication is encouraged. Therefore, in my classroom students will ask questions not only of me but of their peers so that we can utilize everybody’s strengths and knowledge in our pursuit of understanding as well as practice necessary communication skills. Learning is not done as a solitary act. I believe that as much as I learn, there will always be more to discover and room to grow. As my students actively learn from me and one another, I will be learning from them. My students can trust that I will use all the resources at my disposal to continue learning and help them grow into exceptional writers and readers in all aspects of their lives. |