• Teaching Philosophy: 4 Tenets
     
    The following statements are truths that I have discovered to be integral aspects of my teaching philosophy during my experiences in the classroom. I believe that having even an elementary understanding or grasp of any of these tenets will allow any teacher to become more effective. Thinking metacognitively about the learning process, and the ways in which I interacted with my students on a daily basis, allowed me to formalize these ideas into directives that I hope to develop throughout my professional career.
     
    Learning is about Differentiation: Be Compassionate
    No two students are exactly alike or even learn in exactly the same way. We have to encourage and support students' differences and adapt to meet their unique learning styles. We must celebrate the qualities that make us unique, while helping students to become their greatest selves.

    Learning is about Ownership: Be Interesting
    People, and especially students, pick up on our enthusiasm. As a teacher, we have to be excited about the things we teach and ideally this excitement will translate to our students. As we know, if we are excited about something then we are more likely to embrace and take ownership of it.

    Learning is about Life: Be Relevant
    It is easy as a teacher to accept as truth that our classrooms are isolated domains, where wonderful things are happening entirely separate from the outside world; however, this is untrue. Humans are by nature interconnected and forging relationships with others is essential. What we teach must be related or relevant to the outside world. Our students will one day leave our care and be thrust into the outside world, and it is our responsibility to adequately prepare them to embrace that world.

    Learning is about Choices: Be Flexible
    Our students are autonomous , thinking individuals full of preferences and even biases. Life is full of difficult choices and decisions and we should allow students to exercise the ability to make decisions actively in the classroom. In doing so, students will be better equipped to make difficult choices when they encounter them in life.