Autobiographical Sketch and Teaching Philosophy
I have wanted to become a teacher since I was a child, I was lucky enough to have many teachers in my life that were successful in making school enjoyable and also meaningful for me, and I want to help kids feel the same way about school. A big part of my life has always been the people that I have had to look up to and learn from, and I want to be a positive role model for students because they are challenged every day to make good or bad decisions and if they don’t have an authority figure to look up to then they are going to struggle with making positive decisions that can affect them for the rest of their lives. I also want to help students connect their learning in the classroom to the real world outside the classroom and understand that they are learning life skills that they will carry with them their whole life.
My personal goals are to create an environment in my classroom where students feel and know that they are important individuals and also to create an environment where students are comfortable to do their best and always reach for their maximum potential. I also want to give my students positive memories from their time spent in a classroom and realize that schoolwork is not punishment and it can be fun. Another goal of mine is to give students infinite encouragement that allows them to grow and also help them develop life skills they will need to be effective and respectable young adults in academic, social, and emotional areas of their lives.
My educational philosophy is simple: to allow to students to grow as individuals while learning subject content and enjoying their time at school. I anticipate using many different styles in my teaching that allows for students to become actively involved in their own learning and also in the classroom. I will measure my effectiveness as a teacher by reflecting on my teachings and also by the success of my students, if students are able to demonstrate that they have learned the content then I will know that I have been successful in my teaching.
My experience with students to this point has been very much as I had anticipated, I have seen students learn quickly and seen their light bulb turn on in their head while I am explaining something to them, yet I have also had students struggle with a concept I am trying to relate to them. Both have been rewarding because I have learned techniques that are successful for students and also learned how to deal with adversity and found other ways to allow the student to reach their potential. I am also coaching a hockey team consisting of high school age kids and it has been very rewarding in that I get to see students learning outside of an academic setting, but I am also learning myself by using different strategies that I can relate to the classroom and how students interpret different things.