Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy has changed massively throughout my time at Geneva, but the

main foundational belief that relationships are vital to teaching remains. I believe that it will

continue to change as I gain experience teaching and have a classroom of my own. It is a huge

responsibility being a teacher because the next generation is learning from us. I believe that

students first and foremost need to be thought of as humans who have lives outside of the

classroom. Teaching is not just about creating the perfect student, but it is about cultivating them

to be empathetic and critical thinking humans. It means creating a culture in the classroom that is

open for discussions of all types and letting them express themselves. Creating a culture of

openness and acceptance of different backgrounds and personalities is crucial as students grow

up. Students have to adapt to the quickly changing world and face difficulties that many students

before them have not dealt with.

I believe that students learn best with modeling and real-life examples. It can be difficult

for students to be interested in a subject which they think does not benefit them. Thus, it is vital

to make connections between the subject and their personal lives so they can see how it can be

applied in their lives. English is not just about writing well, but it is about analyzing and

critically thinking about information. I want to incorporate events and topics in my classroom

that are relevant to my students. Whether we are discussing a book that talks about civil rights or

a coming of age story, I want to be able to make my students analyze the connections to their

lives. I believe that curating a culture of openness, sympathy, and empathy is crucial to thriving

discussions. Modeling is crucial for students as well because they get to see what the teacher’s

process is for either creating an outline or analyzing a passage. Since every student has a

different learning style, it is important to model that with how I teach them how to study and
write using different learning styles. I want my classroom to be a space in which my students can

feel safe to explore their ideas and thoughts they have about the world around them. Besides

helping my students grow in those areas it is vital to show them why English is so important to

them.

I believe that it is important for my students to learn how to be critical thinkers. If they

believe analyzing a book seems pointless, I want to show them why being analytic is applicable

not just in the classroom. Being able to make connections outside of the classroom and showing

my students the importance of being well-articulated is vital for them to be engaged in the

classroom. Being able to write well is not just important for academics but for life outside of the

classroom. Whether that means writing formal emails or clerical work for a job. I believe that it

is crucial for students to understand that teachers are humans too. It is likely that teachers will

make mistakes and are still growing and learning as well. While I will give my students the grace

and respect that they need, I think that it is important for students to show the same to teachers.

We are humans which means that we will make mistakes and grace from students is crucial. I

want my students to feel comfortable enough to give critical feedback if they feel I am not being

fair, or an assignment is not clear. I want my assignments and assessments to be beneficial to my

students and I want them to be able to give feedback on whether or not they find it helpful.

The role of assessment in my classroom will be implemented through essays, projects,

informal writing, annotations, and informal assessment. I believe that assessments are important

because it lets students’ use what they have learned in the classroom in an assessment. They are

another way to gauge where they are in learning the material and provides helpful feedback. The

feedback will show what material needs to be taught more or if it needs to be taught in a different

format. For English, it can be clear which student’s read the material critically and which ones
have used the internet for a quick synopsis. My classroom will be a place that cultivates readers

and critics that deeply analyze works of literature while working on their own mastery of the

subject.

I believe that building strong relationships with my future students will be the key to

managing my classroom. A philosophy I try to live by is that I never know what is going on in

someone else’s life and therefore I should not react poorly if they exhibit negative behavior. I

want to incorporate that philosophy into my classroom because the secondary age can be

difficult. Classroom management will be done by reinforcing positive behavior and not over

punishing negative behaviors. It is also important to be consistent when reinforcing positive

behavior and being consistent with the classroom rules. If there is a student in my classroom who

continuously exhibits negative behavior I would have them do a conference with me. In my

experience, when a student shows negative behavior it usually is because they have something

going on in their personal lives, and I believe it is partially teachers’ responsibilities to help them

express their emotions.

These are the fundamental beliefs I have about teaching and I know that as a grow and

gain experience in the field that it will change. I believe that building solid relationships with my

students will always be a foundational building block to curating a room of excited learners. The

most important factor is that my students come out of my classroom differently than they were

before. Either coming out with a new perspective, more empathetic or sympathetic, and have

greater critical or analytic thinking. Teaching is not just about curating students towards mastery

in a subject but curating well-rounded citizens.