"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."
-Chinese Proverb
This Chinese Proverb is what my teaching philosophy is based on. I believe that a teacher is just an instrument in a student’s education. I want to be that instrument because I know how much of a difference it can make in a students’ life. I was lucky enough to have a teacher in high school that became that instrument for me and led me to the career path I have chosen. I love working with students and being a mentor for them at such a difficult time in their lives. I want my students to see for themselves the potential they have so they can be the best person they can be and achieve the goals they have for their life.
I teach Family and Consumer Sciences. Some people may think that this isn’t an important part of a high school or middle school curriculum, but I disagree. I believe that the skills and abilities they are learning in the courses taught in this area are some of the most beneficial skills that a person can learn. It is said that hands-on activities help children learn better, and I believe the same applies for middle and high school age students. This area of content is the hands-on application of concepts they learn in a variety of required curriculum. It gives them a real-life application to things they are learning in other classes, which ultimately helps them succeed later in life. The courses taught in this area (and there are many) are some of the most vital classes a student can take while they are in a secondary education institution.
My student teaching experience at Desert Hills Middles School was one of the most challenging, but beneficial experiences I've had in my short teaching career. I learned a lot about my style of teaching versus styles of teachers I've admired for years. I learned that I tend to be a boring lecturer and changed my style of teaching to a more activity based approach. I learned that as a teacher, I have to expect more out of my students to get them to achieve what I want them to achieve and I learned that I’m not my student’s friend, I’m their teacher. This may seem like something I should have learned beforehand but it didn’t become real to me until I was the full-fledged teacher. When I started my student teaching, I went into it wanting my students to like me, not respect me. Because of that, I had a lot of classroom management issues and for about two months after I worked to replace that with respect, and I wasn’t able to focus all of my attention on improving my lessons. My teaching suffered with the classroom management issues that I had because I started the year out wanting to be their friend. Because of this experience though, I know that starting the year out right is the most important thing. As soon as I have that respect, I can start showing my personality more.
I am the teacher that doesn’t waste time on useless information. I like to be straightforward. I give my students the information they need to know and then we do activities to help them further comprehend that information. I like to use discussions, activities and group work to accomplish this. Through these activities, I can gage what concepts my students have mastered and what concepts need clarification. When I do lecture, I ask questions to keep my students alert and involved with the lesson and I encourage my students to ask their own questions. I use unit evaluations to better my teaching throughout the semester and to alter my style to my students. After each test, I like to discuss with my students what went well, and what we can change for the next unit. I like to involve my students in the learning process as much as possible. As I stated before, it is their education, and I as a teacher am just an instrument to help them.
Overall, I want my students to succeed, not only in my class, but in life. If that means making a fool of myself in front of the classroom, doing a little dance because it helps them remember a concept we are talking about, than I will do it. If it means giving them the responsibility to keep track of test dates and assignments, I will show them different ways they can. I don't want them to have an excuse to fail because I'm not doing anything about it. I want to them to see that putting in a little hard work will reap amazing benefits and that school and learning can be fun and beneficial. I want my students to take pride in themselves, their work, and their accomplishments. By doing simple things, such as showing them the alarm/calendar reminders on their phones for tests or creating their own study guides, they are taking control of the education and learning how to succeed. Students want someone who believes in them. I want to be the someone who does, because I know what they are capable of doing and I want them to see their potential as a human being. I don't just want to teach because I love my content. I want to teach because I love the students and I love seeing them learn, not only my content, but applicable things in their lives. I'm just an instrument in their education, and that's exactly what I want to be.
This Chinese Proverb is what my teaching philosophy is based on. I believe that a teacher is just an instrument in a student’s education. I want to be that instrument because I know how much of a difference it can make in a students’ life. I was lucky enough to have a teacher in high school that became that instrument for me and led me to the career path I have chosen. I love working with students and being a mentor for them at such a difficult time in their lives. I want my students to see for themselves the potential they have so they can be the best person they can be and achieve the goals they have for their life.
I teach Family and Consumer Sciences. Some people may think that this isn’t an important part of a high school or middle school curriculum, but I disagree. I believe that the skills and abilities they are learning in the courses taught in this area are some of the most beneficial skills that a person can learn. It is said that hands-on activities help children learn better, and I believe the same applies for middle and high school age students. This area of content is the hands-on application of concepts they learn in a variety of required curriculum. It gives them a real-life application to things they are learning in other classes, which ultimately helps them succeed later in life. The courses taught in this area (and there are many) are some of the most vital classes a student can take while they are in a secondary education institution.
My student teaching experience at Desert Hills Middles School was one of the most challenging, but beneficial experiences I've had in my short teaching career. I learned a lot about my style of teaching versus styles of teachers I've admired for years. I learned that I tend to be a boring lecturer and changed my style of teaching to a more activity based approach. I learned that as a teacher, I have to expect more out of my students to get them to achieve what I want them to achieve and I learned that I’m not my student’s friend, I’m their teacher. This may seem like something I should have learned beforehand but it didn’t become real to me until I was the full-fledged teacher. When I started my student teaching, I went into it wanting my students to like me, not respect me. Because of that, I had a lot of classroom management issues and for about two months after I worked to replace that with respect, and I wasn’t able to focus all of my attention on improving my lessons. My teaching suffered with the classroom management issues that I had because I started the year out wanting to be their friend. Because of this experience though, I know that starting the year out right is the most important thing. As soon as I have that respect, I can start showing my personality more.
I am the teacher that doesn’t waste time on useless information. I like to be straightforward. I give my students the information they need to know and then we do activities to help them further comprehend that information. I like to use discussions, activities and group work to accomplish this. Through these activities, I can gage what concepts my students have mastered and what concepts need clarification. When I do lecture, I ask questions to keep my students alert and involved with the lesson and I encourage my students to ask their own questions. I use unit evaluations to better my teaching throughout the semester and to alter my style to my students. After each test, I like to discuss with my students what went well, and what we can change for the next unit. I like to involve my students in the learning process as much as possible. As I stated before, it is their education, and I as a teacher am just an instrument to help them.
Overall, I want my students to succeed, not only in my class, but in life. If that means making a fool of myself in front of the classroom, doing a little dance because it helps them remember a concept we are talking about, than I will do it. If it means giving them the responsibility to keep track of test dates and assignments, I will show them different ways they can. I don't want them to have an excuse to fail because I'm not doing anything about it. I want to them to see that putting in a little hard work will reap amazing benefits and that school and learning can be fun and beneficial. I want my students to take pride in themselves, their work, and their accomplishments. By doing simple things, such as showing them the alarm/calendar reminders on their phones for tests or creating their own study guides, they are taking control of the education and learning how to succeed. Students want someone who believes in them. I want to be the someone who does, because I know what they are capable of doing and I want them to see their potential as a human being. I don't just want to teach because I love my content. I want to teach because I love the students and I love seeing them learn, not only my content, but applicable things in their lives. I'm just an instrument in their education, and that's exactly what I want to be.