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Teaching Philosophy
One of the most important things as a teacher, I think, is to make sure your students leave the classroom feeling like they have actually gained knowledge and something useful. Because of that, I value feedback and constant conversation of positive change to be a critical part of any successful classroom.
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I also know that for many students, school can be a refuge, whether it be from a bad situation at home, or a time where they don't have to take care of others, etc. Since so many students find school to be a type of escape, I aim to make my classroom a welcoming and safe space, making sure students know of the resources available to them or doing small things to make their day.
- in a past field experience I gave a girl struggling with her handwriting some pencil grips and she was so grateful she hugged me
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More than anything I think teaching is more than just educating students on a subject, but rather providing them with information they can use later in life in a plethora of ways, and that is what I aim to do.
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A presentation to break down my Philosophy of Teaching
My overall philosophy so far has been built by teachers I've had, classes I've been in, things I've read or seen, even fictional characters or internet posts that I've saved to look at later because I know that's how I want to run my classroom.
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Several different aspects such as the attitude towards my students, how the classroom will be set up, what kids of evaluations will be given, all come together to form a specific philosophy centered around making sure students feel safe an comfortable with me, while also helping them learn as much as they can.
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So along the way I've had several inspirations that led to this conclusion and below are just a few examples:
Teachers That Have Inspired Me
Jennifer Furphey:
Mrs. Furphey was my creative writing teacher as well as my teacher for AP English Language. Throughout both of her classes she always made it a fun environment, not only with her personality and obvious love for what she was teaching as well as the actual teaching, but with her attention to students. She always made sure we felt heard, that we understood the topic, and listened if we were having issues that could be affecting our work. I only technically had her for two years but I went to see her often throughout high school for help with other classes or even just to talk.
Dr. Cynthia Laudadio:
Dr. Laudadio was originally my teacher for my Humanities class, 3rd year, and then she was my AP English Literature teacher. She is one of the teachers I know I will never forget. In her Humanities class we had to write a 30 page research paper about something we were passionate about, and thanks to her I was able to get through that and produce a paper that was well researched and adequately well written. In the English class she helped my love of Shakespeare grow even more. Throughout the two years of having her she taught me so much about reading and writing, but also about life. She is the kind of teacher to make an impact on every student, and largely because she obviously cares for each and every one.
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Lynn Berman:
Ms. Berman is the Latin teacher at my high school, and while I never took her classes, she still became an integral part of my four years there. I met her through a friend in one of her classes but then she also became a part of theatre and throughout all of that she became the teacher whose room I would always be in. Her and her room were a safe space, somewhere to work out problems, somewhere to even just get work done. She became an adult in my life I knew I could go to for advice, and she knew when issues were beyond her realm and would personally bring students to the guidance counselor. Her knowledge about life and passion for what she teaches are something I hope to incorporate as a teacher.
Books That Have Inspired Me
Bird by Bird: ​
While this book is mainly about writing, there are so many aspects to it that apply to more than just writing, especially writing a novel. I had to read this book for a class but ended up enjoying it immensely as a writer, and several parts of it I hope to incorporate in my teaching of writing.
To Kill a Mockingbird:​
I've reread this book several times in different stages of my life, and each time I understand it in a different way and learn a bit more about myself, how I see the world, and the impact literature can have. While it is certainly seen as a classic novel, it's more than that to me, because I've also seen the play performed. The themes of race, maturity, innocence, and so many other parts of the story always stand out to me and never cease to teach me something new.
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What Does Injustice Have to do With Me?:
This book was one we had to read for our classes this first semester and it piqued my interest. Coming from a Latinx background and going to high school in a very diverse area, a lot of the types of students mentioned within this book are not something I ever experienced. Because I wasn't very familiar with the type of environment described, seeing all the different methods of showing privileged students their important role in creating equality, was fascinating and something I will definitely be going back to look at if I find myself in a remotely similar situation.
Internet Posts That Have Inspired Me
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/294000681932194417/
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Each of these posts are things that I have found that others teachers do and I would like to adopt into my classroom, or different accounts from students that I want to keep in mind. Using my understanding of social media to find new things to implement or ways to connect to my students is something I enjoy doing now and plan to continue. ​
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Teaching Coat
Concept :
A teaching coat is a concept introduced in our second seminar, bringing the idea of the metaphorical coat you put on as a teacher within your classroom. While it is technically supposed to be visually represented as a physical coat, I put more of my ideologies into a pinterest board to be accessed here:
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