My Teaching Philosophy
I believe...
I Believe that Every Student Should Feel Safe in my Classroom This is especially important in an English classroom, because the things I’ll be teaching are inherently subjective and personal. The safer they feel, the more open they’ll be to learn and to express their thoughts to me and to each other. This comes from the kindness and respect that they show each other, me, our resources, and the world around us. I Believe in Authenticity for Myself and for My Students I know much of the time that I will be learning from my students, and I have to accept that with humility and gratitude. I don’t know all the answers, and it’s okay - and good - that my students know that. They can also know that I will be doing their assignments along with them, and I want them to be honest with me when things are too difficult or not difficult enough, so that I can differentiate for each of them. |
I Believe in the Value of Student Choice and Student Voice
My students will not lose their own voice, especially in writing. They will know that they are not simply writing to impress me, but instead that they are writing to learn how to use their own voice. I will teach them to use their own voice to bring something unique to the world. Every student has something entirely their own to bring to my classroom, no matter their struggles or talents. I will help them see that and teach them to use it.
I Believe that Students Should Feel Comfortable Taking Risks
Taking risks is what leads to breakthroughs and exceptional work. In order to foster this, I’m going to give students opportunities to write and work without a grade on some work. I know students often stick to their comfort zones when writing for a grade, not trying to rock the boat too much so that they don’t get a poor grade. This kind of thinking often takes away from creating works that are unique and groundbreaking. This comfortability goes hand in hand with feeling safe in the classroom.
My students will not lose their own voice, especially in writing. They will know that they are not simply writing to impress me, but instead that they are writing to learn how to use their own voice. I will teach them to use their own voice to bring something unique to the world. Every student has something entirely their own to bring to my classroom, no matter their struggles or talents. I will help them see that and teach them to use it.
I Believe that Students Should Feel Comfortable Taking Risks
Taking risks is what leads to breakthroughs and exceptional work. In order to foster this, I’m going to give students opportunities to write and work without a grade on some work. I know students often stick to their comfort zones when writing for a grade, not trying to rock the boat too much so that they don’t get a poor grade. This kind of thinking often takes away from creating works that are unique and groundbreaking. This comfortability goes hand in hand with feeling safe in the classroom.
As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has - or ever will have - something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression." |
My Classroom Management Philosophysafety & kindness
More than anything, I want to be sure that my classroom is a safe space for my students. Love & Logic concepts will help me to create this atmosphere, along with cultivating an appreciation and acceptance of mistakes as helping us to grow. I am also informed by Marzano's ideals of student engagement as the first classroom management tool. |