Philosophy of Teaching

As a teacher my goals are to promote critical thinking, encourage

mastery of the subject that I teach and to aid students in finding their
voices in the classroom. I believe that every individual on this planet
requires critical thinking skills. Without critical thinking skills we would
not be able to evolve as humans. Critical thinking skills allow us to
make informed and innovative decisions that will help to push us
forward. Additionally it is extremely important to me that my students
actively work towards mastering the subject of English. Most of us
need English to communicate with one another and it is my goal as a
teacher to give my students the tools that they will need to effectively
and confidently communicate their ideas to the rest of the world.
Lastly, I believe that it is my job as a teacher to help my students find
their voices in an academic setting. It is often easy for a student to let
louder voices drown theirs out but I want my students to know every
single voice is valuable and important; even the quiet ones.
I will achieve my goals through discussion, group work, and the
creation of written products. Through the use of discussion my
students will be able to harness their voices and use them alongside
their peers. By using group work, students will be able to work
together to tackle problems while strengthening their critical thinking
skills. Lastly, by creating written products, my students will be able to
work towards mastering the subject area by experimenting with their
writing and participating in the analysis of literature.
I will assess my students through using alternative assessments
such as projects, papers, presentations, and discussion. Students will
be assessed in my classroom using both formative assessments and
summative assessments. Students will be assessed formatively while
they work through the instructional process while learning is still
occurring. Summative assessments will be used when students create
final products of their learning such as final projects or papers. When
assessing these products I will be looking for mastery of skills and
concepts.
As a teacher it is important to always be working on your
teaching skills. I will improve my teaching by evaluating my skills on a
weekly basis. I will also set goals for each week and strive to achieve
those goals by the weeks end. By reflecting on my teaching I will be
able to address areas where I feel weak as an educator and will be able
to put a plan in place to strengthen those areas.
Teaching is a profession of collaboration with both colleagues
and students. It is a profession of sharing ideas and using those shared
ideas to tackle problems as a team. My classroom will be a
collaborative space filled with rigorous discussion and teamwork. It will
be a place where literature is dissected and works of writing are built
from the ground up. It will be a space of creation and never of

destruction. But perhaps most importantly, my classroom will be a

place of acceptance, safety, and fun!