Teaching Philosophy

Adolescence is a tough age for most of us; for me it seemed unbearable. When I was
seventeen and a senior in highschool, I was severely bullied by my peers. Luckily I had two
things that helped me to see their was a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Those two
things were reading and writing. Throughout my highschool career, books, whether I was
reading them or writing in them, provided an escape from the world I was living in. My
highschool teachers frequently conferenced with me to discuss where I was in my reading
and writing journey. With their constant support throughout my writing process and
encouragement throughout my reading experiences, I flourished as a student. They
allowed me to think and exist outside of my comfort zone, evolve as a writer and reader,
and develop an empathy and humanity that is often hard to achieve when limited to one
lived experience. Through reading and writing, I became a better speaker, a better listener,
a better citizen, and most importantly a better person. That is the philosophy I wish to
bring to my teaching and my classroom.
I believe that teaching reading and writing should be approached with the same
creativity allowed when teaching art. To teach an English Language Arts classroom with
the same clinical impassivity and apathy as you would when teaching Math or Science, is to
close and lock every door leading to bonding with students, creative expression for
students and teachers, and delving deeper than what is known or comfortable. My teaching
philosophy is to bring creativity to reading and writing in order to enable my students to
become better versions of themselves, to become critical thinkers, and to be unafraid to
venture outside of their own lived experience. For example; in my explanatory writing
assignment, students will research various revolutionary time periods throughout history.
They will use their findings to enter the mindset of the people in the time period they have
chosen and create a political pamphlet. They will educate their peers on the political
climate of the time period using text, quotes, and graphics. This assignment allows
students to think outside of their own lives while also allowing them to be creative with
their writing and the creation of the pamphlet.
As part of my philosophy, I would also like to provide students with a way to
express themselves and escape through their writing. Creative writing and expression is
often neglected in academia. Today, I find academic writing to be limited to the
impersonal, five paragraph, analytical essays that hardly reflect the interests of the
students. As you can see in my argumentative writing assignment, I want to give students
tasks that come from their own lives, that directly affect them, and stem from their
interests. For the argument writing piece, students will collect data and conduct research
within their own educational community on the topic of personal electronic device usage in
the classroom. The students will have the opportunity to persuade the administration
within their school to allow or takeaway personal electronic device usage within their own
classroom. I feel students will be more inclined to complete assignments and enjoy the
learning experience if the material is taken from their own lived experiences.
I wish to create a learning environment where students feel their interest are
reflected in the tasks they are assigned and the curriculum they are learning. My
philosophy is to help students develop enhanced reading and writing skills so that they can
become intelligent, empathetic citizens within their communities. In doing so, I feel
students will become individuals who genuinely enjoy reading and writing again.