My Philosophy of Teaching
The very foundation and beliefs that build my philosophy of teaching could be
accredited to my experiences prior to entering this field and the time spent trying to
become a full pledged educator. I believe that teaching, or in larger scope education
is a process where prior knowledge is transferred to one person to another; like a
master and apprentice, one’s life work and craft being passed down albeit at a much
larger scale. This process of continuous inheritance of knowledge is the cogs and gears
that turn and build the society. And education or learning does not distinguish
between age, race, and age as I believe that everyone is entitled to education.
My primary role as a teacher and the principles I embody requires me to ensure
that students at least learned something meaningful before they leave the four
corners of the classroom. I am a firm believer of active learning, which would be the
primary technique of instruction I would mostly use. Although, I might not be the
best teacher, I do know that “Experience is the best teacher” and I must facilitate and
create these situations for my students. First-hand experience provides situations
where students have the freedom of tackling and solving problems in their own terms
which allows them to develop real world skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving
skills.
In terms of my selected specialization, it all boils down to personal preference.
Before entering the field of education, I have always been fascinated with language
along with the structure and rules that it consists of it is also the primary means of
communication that enables teachers to touch minds and hearts. Which led me in
choosing English as my major. As we all know English is considered as the global
lingua franca the primary language that the world uses to communicate. Having
absolute control and knowledge about English and its structure as language already
puts me at an advantage if global competency is concerned. I also wish to share the
knowledge and abilities I have accumulated to my students. I have seen how much
the country lacks in this field or subject, it is in my best interest to at least help
alleviate this problem. To be able to provide students the best quality of education
and memorable learning experience to produce globally competent students ready for
the challenges of life and the real world. In summary; self-improvement, ambition,
and leaving something meaningful behind.
As a means of achieving or coming close to my goals as an educator, there are
skills, strengths, and certain insights that I must maintain or achieve. Starting with
communication, good communication skills would enable me to reach my students
better and communicating does not stop when a teacher is done speaking, listening
is also an integral part of communication, which can allow me to better understand
my students and their queries. The next set of traits I must have, is the ability to
collaborate and adapt to any environment social or physical in nature. I need to learn
how to collaborate with students, colleagues, and superiors to achieve a common goal.
This goes hand in hand with adaptability, I know that in this field I would be meeting
different kinds of people and students, which would need different approaches and
teaching styles.
Skills aside, there are also traits and characteristics I must acquire. One of
which is patience. I know that teaching would not be smooth sailing, there problems
that I am going to encounter such as classroom behavior, clashing personalities and
chaos. Which is why I should have a never-ending patience as a teacher. Next on the
list is a lively personality, I need to engage with students to make my class a positive
learning environment, which promotes productivity and learning.
Lastly, one of the most important insights in my opinion. I should never forget
that teaching or being a teacher, I am subject to a life of learning, no matter how
much time I spend in this profession or how decorated I become I should never forget
that there is always something to learn from my students, fellow colleagues, and
superiors. Always being open to learning would allow me to continually improve, not
only to my own benefit, but to my future students as well. By now, teaching in my
opinion is synonymous with life-long learning a never-ending undertaking that I
chose. This concludes my philosophy of teaching which is the culmination of all the
skills and experiences that I have accumulated over the span of entering this field.
