Dimitri Przeslawski

32643 Olde Franklin Dr, Farmington Hills, MI, 48334 | 248-595-6845 | dprzeslawski@gmail.com

Statement of Teaching Philosophy

From my experiences, only a fraction of learning in the classroom comes from the content. Effective
educators realize that it is the relationships, and the skill-building, that sticks with students. Ten
years down the road, students are unlikely to remember much of the content from their classes, but
they will remember their teacher, classmates, and class activities. My core teaching philosophies to
create a safe, learning-rich environment come down to three main actions: Mixing up instruction,
creating relationships with each and every student, and maintaining self-awareness and flexibility.

In my classroom, I try to keep class fresh. It is important to vary instruction so that students with
different interests and backgrounds can better understand the material. Varying instruction
happens on the micro and the macro levels. In an individual class period, I try to have 2-3 activities
planned to keep student participation and interest throughout. Simply lecturing, having a
discussion, or watching a video for an hour is not conducive to creating a thriving learning
environment. Similarly, on a more macro level, I try to teach the same material in a multitude of
ways. When teaching about the brain, for example, I had my students do their own research, I
lectured and had a worksheet for a day, and then had my students build the brain using playdough
for a lesson.

Along with mixing up instruction, it is my belief that teachers need to be self-aware and flexible to
best fit the needs of their students. Each class is going to be different, and may require different
teaching methods. In my classroom, I always try to be self-reflective, and acquire feedback from
students and fellow staff. I am aware that I am always growing as an educator and I am unafraid to
have conversations with students on how I can improve instruction.

This leads into my final core belief in effective teaching, relationship building. In my classroom, you
will never see me sit. I am always walking around and talking with students, either to check on their
understanding or simply to have short discussions and get to know them better. It is vitally
important that educators know their students on some sort of personal level, because it helps
create mutual respect for one another. This mutual respect leads to effective classroom
management, and a desire for students to learn content. I want my students to know that I care
about them both as learners and as people, and that begins with having conversations and building
relationships.