Educational Philosophy

“What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to a human soul.” – Joseph Addison

Educating young people is a great responsibility that goes far beyond teaching one’s content. Teachers are mentors, life coaches, counselors, role models. We nurture, encourage, support, and push when needed. We want students to realize their limitless potential, unleash their power for good, and seek meaning beyond themselves. We teach our students to challenge assumptions, argue ideas, and gain new perspectives. We want our students to grow into wise, mature, conscientious global citizens dedicated to preserving our past, preparing our future, and caring for our present.

This is why I teach. To make a difference. To show students how they, too, can make a difference. To guide young minds to their own conclusions and show them the breadth of humanity and the infinite possibilities within. For me, nothing could be more valuable.

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” -Abigail Adams

Everyone has the capacity to learn, but whether or not they choose to take advantage of the opportunities available is a choice. I wholeheartedly agree with Abigail Adams in that true learning requires more than simply passively listening to information being given. It demands active learning, participation, and engagement. The ultimate endgame is for students to find within themselves that intrinsic motivation to actively learn. The question that I then must ask myself is how do I encourage students to strive for that intrinsic motivation?

While we may not all ascribe to Garner or Piaget’s theories of multiple intelligences and cognitive development, the fact that we all learn differently cannot be disputed. It is this fundamental aspect of education that educators must consistently keep in mind when planning lessons. As a language teacher this comes naturally; we teach a great deal of content in a variety of ways. Speaking, listening, writing, reading: all of these our students must do if they are ever to take those necessary steps towards fluency in a language. I aim to provide a plethora of activities in varied formats, from activities requiring movement around the classroom, creating their own stories, and vocabulary games to exercises where they must seek out information online via target language websites. I want my students to experience learning how they learn best, so I consistently plan my lessons each day to include activities/learning input that address at least three different learning styles. This includes assessments as well. Formal exams are a solid summative assessment, but not every student feels that they can best showcase their knowledge learned by sitting and taking an exam. It is important to vary our assessments, just as we vary our classroom activities. I strive to provide multiple assessments throughout a unit in multiple ways, whether it be through a creative skit, a more art-driven project, conversation, or something more formal such as a short essay. It is also critical to structure said assessments based on the goals and outcomes for students at the end of a particular unit. What will students know and how will they able to demonstrate that knowledge effectively?

Technology is an excellent way to demonstrate knowledge, as well as being a fantastic tool. Working with technology and understanding how to use it effectively is a skill that is more and more becoming a necessary part of one’s education. Many careers require at least a rudimentary knowledge of basic programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel. However, in the rapid, ever-changing world of technology, students need to keep abreast of the advances being made and understand how to successfully utilize such features. Technology can also be an exceptional way to impart and demonstrate knowledge. This is a particular passion of mine – integrating suitable, effective technology within my curriculum. I am cautious about the sudden excitement over the latest gadget and carefully vet each new addition to my classroom. I refuse to use technology simply for the sake of using it. It must serve a purpose, make something easier to do, add a deeper layer, and be worthwhile for students to understand and use.

 “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” – Sydney J. Harris

The ease of overseas travel and the Internet have done more to globalize our economy and society than anything else in our history. In order to prepare our students for this ever expanding global community, it is imperative to consistently expose our students to other cultures, ideas, and societies. As a language teacher, this is inherently what we do within our classrooms. We examine, experience, and explore other cultures and ways of life. We look at history through the cultural lens of the target language countries. Students should be given many opportunities to explore cultures in far-flung places, but also their local communities. I encourage students to seek out local communities in which the target language is spoken, to find ways in which to actively take part in a social setting unfamiliar to them, to engage with those of different backgrounds. Learning another language and about another culture forces one to examine one’s own, allowing opportunities to change and grow as a language learner and global citizen. Thus it is essential to practice respectfully analyzing another culture and language within the classroom, consistently modelling this for students as well.

Though we are a global society, it is also important to remember the old adage, “It takes a village to raise a child.” While looking afar, we also need to look close to home to help children succeed. I strongly believe that teachers, parents, and administration must positively and successfully partner in raising the children that grace our classrooms. Teachers need to confer with each other across disciplines if students are struggling to determine whether their struggle is within one subject or a particular aspect of education, such as organization and anxiety around exams. Teachers and parents should ultimately be a united front when working with students. ‘What is best for the child’ should be our guiding mantra. Sometimes what is best is not necessarily the easiest path to take, but together as a community we can provide support for each other. It is in this type of society that students, teachers, and parents thrive, amidst mutual respect.

“Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man who can’t read; he will be the man who has not learned how to learn.” – Herbert Gerjuoy

An effective teacher doesn’t simply impart knowledge, but teaches a student how to learn. Nor do we simply teach our content area; we must teach children to think for themselves, to form their own opinions, and to discover what works best for them. My students must memorize a great deal of vocabulary if they are to effectively communicate in Spanish. Instead of simply giving them the words with the directive to memorize, we spend a great deal of time discussing various strategies and then trying them out in class. It’s important that students also understand that there are different learning styles, that there is not one ‘right way’ to learn, and how to discover what works best for them. I believe that differentiation is the key with which we convey our lessons to students so that they can unlock their own learning.

Everything must be done with intent. Every single thing I do within the classroom has a purpose, has an intent to educate. Allowing students to choose a Spanish name for themselves is not simply ‘for fun.’ By choosing a Spanish name, students create a new identity to have in the classroom. By building a safe, comfortable, community-driven environment and allowing students to create their own identities within my classroom, students are able to freely explore the culture and language. My reserved Stevens and Julies might find their voice more easily in class as Carolina or Juan. There are also certain silly phrases that I say daily which students believe I use simply to be funny and silly, but that have purpose. I use them in order for students to become more accustomed to a grammatical structure, for example, or a common cultural turn-of-phrase. Everything that I do within my classroom has a specific reason and intent. I also believe that it is vital to use humor in all that we do, both during the lesson to engage students and, perhaps most importantly, when dealing with behavior.

Classroom management styles will always vary from teacher to teacher, whether you follow a specific program such as Jim Fey’s Love and Logic or Harry Wong’s ideology. Regardless of the style or styles that you employ, I strongly believe that it should absolutely fit the teacher’s personality and beliefs. I choose to pull a variety of strategies from various methodologies, but always remembering that, for me, humor is my strongest asset. I can diffuse tense situations between students, redirect behavior, and change a class’ mood with my humor. This is effective, comfortable for me, and provides students an outlet instead of producing further confrontation. The few exceptional cases that warrant more drastic action than redirection or refocus, I deal with on a case by case basis. However, I always treat students with respect and am fair when it comes to discipline, even if that means I tell the student that I will need to think on the consequences or the action itself in order to mete out a suitable consequence. I believe teachers deserve respect, but we also need to earn it. By assessing the way that we manage student behavior in accordance with our school’s policy and in fairness, students are far more likely to engage in class and show respect.

However, it is not only effective classroom management that encourages student engagement. A teacher I greatly admired at the university level taught me to always make material personal, relatable, funny, and engaging. I am not afraid to be silly, spontaneous, and fun. These are the cornerstones for exciting passion, engagement, and interest in my classroom. Lecturing is not my modus operandi for the class. Though I tend to do a lecture the very first day of a new grammatical unit, it is less a lecture and more of a discussion between the students and myself. For the next few weeks, we practice the grammar within the context of the current vocabulary theme, history, and culture of the Spanish speaking world using a variety of activities, realia, games, and projects. I encourage my students to make connections culturally, linguistically, and among content areas; comparisons between cultures; communicate using the target language; experience other cultures whether on a trip or in the classroom; and discover the global community in which we live.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela