My Teaching Philosophy

When you’re in the middle of your educational degree, and you’re thinking about lesson plans, curriculum and class objectives, there is often a question that is asked – What is your philosophy of teaching? This is a challenging question, because we all want to be the best teachers we can be, whih means nurturing our students to places they haven’t seen or experienced before. It means, for most of us, that we help our students to a place they wouldn’t have been able to get before. It means understanding the material so well that we can approach it from multiple angles in order to help any student understand what is being taught. It means making the world a better place through our students.

Now, that said, I don’t think many people would disagree with me about the above paragraph. But how we accomplish the lofty goals above is a matter of much debate, not only within our districts and schools but also within ourselves. We all struggle with how to help our students reach these goals because some paths seem legitimate while others do not. What seems inappropriate today, may seem perfectly acceptable tomorrow. And what we’ve been doing for years as a matter of course, may be a very wrong choice starting today. So, how can I find my way through this prickly, but perfectly vital area of education? The way I’ve always done it; I stumble my way through, looking ahead for clues as to where I’m going, slashing and hacking at the surrounding entanglements in order to get at the crutial treasure that I believe is at the center of this thorny mess.

I believe choice and accountability is crucial. Students must make their own choices and then live with the consequences. For my part, the part of the teacher, what that means is being clear in my expectations, directions and consequences. the students must know what I expect of them and what will happen if those expectations aren’t met. They have to know where they are going, and then choose whether or not to go there. The expectations must be attainable. They may not seem attainable to the student, and in fact I think this is vital point, the student may even think what you ask is impossible. They need to know that with your help they can make it. When a task is too easy there is no joy in arriving at its completion, short of a cursory moment of being done. But if you believe the mountain you are climbing may beyond your reach, and you struggle and strain and finally conquer the peak, it is an incomparable exhilaration when you’ve accomplished your goal. Those kinds of goals must be set by the teacher and then nourished by the teacher so that the student can accomplish the goals that have been set out for them.
Choosing what the teachers asks is vital. Teachers who force compliance and strongarm their students into achieving the objectives may get results from their students, but the students won’t have learned or enjoyed the ride.

Learning is fun. Think about the last time you learned something that you really wanted to learn. You were exhilarated. Most likely you wanted more. You wanted to understand whatever it was you were learning to a greater and greater degree. Bringing that kind of environment inot the classroom is my goal. Now, I don’t have the luxury of letting my classroom be a completely open environmrnt. My students don’t have the option of learning whatever they want at their own pace. That is ideal, but the practical side is that students must learn what is presented to them, when it is presented to them. Which means it is my job to present my material to my students so that they see why it is to their benefit to learn what I have to teach. Once we recognize the inherent value in what is being taught, we are much more likely to invest ourselves in the learning process, because we see why learning it will benefit our own lives. Allowing students the opportunity to see the benefits of learning what you’re teaching is half the battle to keeping a classroom manageable. A teachers task, as I see it, is to present the material to the students so that they see why they should want to learn it. From that point on, learning becomes interesting and fun, because I’m not learning it for any outside person or force, but for myself.

Setting classroom standards, and the consequences for not following the standards, is vital to good classroom management. A teacher needs to be clear on what is appropriate and not appropriate in their own classrooms. Teachers need to be comfortable and confident in their classroom requirements. When students challenge them on why a given rule is in place the teacher needs to be able to answer that challenge in a calm and intelligent way. Exerting ones authority may get desired results in the short term, but it will backfire in the long term. Almost more important than the actual rules is a teachers list of interventions should the rules not be kept. A teacher needs to have these interventions in place from the start, and the students need to be aware of these interventions so that they never come as a shock to the student when they are implemented as a consequence for breaking one of the rules. Students should never be surprised at a consequence. When standards are being broken a teacher will not threathen a student with consequences that they, the teacher will enforce. A good teacher will inform the student that their, the students actions, are leading to a given consequence. And if that given behavior continues, then the student has chosen the consequnce that comes with tht behavior. The teacher has nothing to do with. These are natural consequences that come from the behavior; the student chose them, not the teacher.

Handling your classroom in this way takes the teacher out of the authority role in such a way as to empower the student. The teacher still has the right and ability to adjudicate in any matter, but the student is given the power to choose for themselves, knowing that their behavior has an effect on the people and environments around them. The student makes the choice, and with that choice comes a consequence, good or bad. The teacher has nothing to do with it. When a student asks me if they should be doing a given task or behavior, I always respond in such a way that they understand the consquence that comes with that behavior or task. And then I leave it up to them. If the behavior continues then the consequence naturally follows; if the behavior changes, then the consseuqnce changes.

This is why it’s vital for students to understand the consequnce before it is administered so that they have the time and ability to choose. If the consequnce comes as a surprise then it reinforces the feeling of powerlessness in the student, that they don’t have control over their lives. But if a student understands that if their behavior continues there will be consequences, not administered by the teacher, but chosen by the student, then the student has within their power to change their actions.

There cannot be a feeling of antagonism between a teacher and their students. Students need to feel that their teacher is someone who likes them, someone who looks after them, and someone who will help them when they need it. If students feel that their teacher is above them, or looking for them to fail, then building a relationship of mutual trust is incredibly difficult, especially if the teacher feels superior to the students. Students must know that their teacher is human as well; they don’t have all the answer, and they make mistakes too. Students need to feel comfortable in a classroom so that learning can occur. But teachers are always in charge. This is a fine line to walk. Teachers must create a safe and trusting relationship with their students while maintaining their ultimate authority in the classroom. This relationship will allow a teacher to correct behavior while maintaining that relationship.

A student needs to feel that they will be treated fairly by their teacher, but not necessarily equally. This is a really fine line to walk. Students see how teachers treat other students; and when they themselves aren’t treated that way the difference in treatement can cause a student to question a teachers fairness. This is where a good solid relationship comes in handy. A teacher is then able to explain that their actions are different for different students in different circumstances. A teacher must also be comfortable in their decision and decision making process. This means that when unfairness is pointed out a teacher is willing to accept that they made a mistake and try and remedy that mistake and admit their shortcomings as they expect their students to do. This demonstrates to the student that the teacher is human and humble enough to make mistakes as well. Teachers who rule through their classrooms by threats, intimidation and the perception that they are infallible makes for an incredibly shaky and unstable classroom foundation. Once students realize the teacher is not infallible then their authority is gone, and they are left with nothing but threats and intimidation. Students may learn under these circumstances, but it is under duress, and ultimately ends in the student paring the negative emotions they associate with their teacher with the subject matter, leading to the opposite of an educators objectives – that the student learn while loving the subject.

There are times when consequences must be tempered with an understanding of the situation. If the situation is truly out of the hands of the student then consequences may be modified and only a teacher can adjudicate these situations. But if the student couldn’t have controlled their behavior, consequences, no matter how harsh it seems, must be meted out appropriately. It is the teachers responsibility to teach a student about choice and responsibility and to recognize when something is their own fault. Students must learn how to take responsibility for their own actions, even when those actions lead to an undesirable consequence.

Teachers should not be expected to entertain. But they must be expected to know their subject matter very well. They can also be expected to present the information in such a way as to make it clear, accessible and understandable to students. This takes work. Extreme amounts of work. And often, what works for one class, does not work for another, and the teacher is forced to modify their presentation on the fly. This is one reason why understanding of the topic is vital. If a teacher is only mimicking what they have heard, then when a serious, in depth question is asked, or when a class is not grasping a given topic, then the teacher must be prepared to take a different tack in order to ensure everyone understands what is being taught.

Teachers should be expected to keep up with current trends and technologies. This is an extremely challenging requirement. In a time when technological advances are reaching exponential levels, learning about a technology before it becomes obsolete is challenging, to put it mildly. But be assured, students are familiar with the technology, and they are using it. If you aren’t up with the current trends, even ahead of what the students are participating in, then your classroom will lack the necessary energy to carry the students through the subject. Keeping abreast of the technological curve is challenging. It is like browsing a bookstore for a book you don’t know the title to. Teachers must familiarize themselves with current, dependable websites and people who can help direct them to the best sources out there that will enable their classrooms to reach the next level. Relying on geeks, pod casts or specific sites to do your work for you is half the battle. Visit these sources as often as you can, surf the web, and keep an open mind. Remember, a bookstore is full of stuff you will never use 95% of the time; it is up to you to find that golden 5% that can benefit you, your classroom and your students.

My classroom is a place of safety, trust, loving kindness and learning. I want my students to know they have a resource in me first, and that I can also teach them something, second. I want to them to see me as another place to go for help – perhaps it will be help with psychology or history, or it might be help with something at home, or at work. But building that relationship of trust is vital if I am going to become the kind of teacher I want. Students must know they can trust you to treat them fairly and justly. Your classroom has to be a place of kindness and learning. And it can only be accomplished by having an open door policy, that requires understanding, choice and responsibility.

My educational philosophy is one that starts with myself. I must be prepared and energetic about my subject matter. I must have clear objectives that I expect my students to meet. I must know what behaviors are acceptable in my classrooms and what consequence will follow those behaviors, both positive and negative. I must be mentally prepared to administer those consequences even when I like the student, because what understanding choice and consequence is more important than whatever subject I’m teaching at the moment. Students will benefit more from learning how the world works, than how any given subject works; students must understand that I am looking to the future and so must they. Technology is vital to an understanding of our world and it is up to me, the teacher, to familiarize myself with whatever will make my classroom work better. I must build relationships with my students that they can trust, relationships that model strong adult roles and points them into the future, whatever it may hold for them. My relationships with my students must show them how an educated person learns and educates themselves; but it must also show them how an adult functions in the real world. They need to see someone other than their parents as role models, and a teacher is one of them. As a teacher I must be available to them, but I must never forget that I am not a student, I am their teacher. And being their teacher means being a good role model, giving them a firm educational and personal foundation, pointing them into the future using my subject matter and technology and in modeling that learning can, indeed, be fun. Learning is fun. But we must apply ourselves to find that fun. We have to give ourselves the chance, and know that work is part of the bargain, before we can see the fun for ourselves. As a teacher I am required to know myself, know my students, and know my subject matter. Once I’ve figured those three things out I will have become the kind of teacher I want to become and I will have finally arrived at my destination.