Teaching Philosophy
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward. I believe the fundamental goal of teaching is to foster learning. A teacher is first and foremost a space creator, we create space for our students to learn and grow. I believe that education is a two-way proposition. The student’s part of the proposition is to come to class prepared to learn and my part is to create an interactive authentic space, which engages students in the learning process in and out of the classroom. My classroom will be a place where the unique cultural identity of each student will be preserved and embraced. I believe that learning should be student centered. I will use my student’s experiences to drive my instruction. I believe that preparation and enthusiasm are the cornerstones of effective teaching; they are contagious and inspire success. As a teacher it is my mission to find creative ways to infuse the curriculum that must be taught, and inspire my students to become life long learners. In my classroom I will stimulate and encourage critical thinking rather than providing answers and resolving problems.
If you were to walk past my classroom you would see interactive, cooperative learning. You would hear students chatting with one another, not about what they did that weekend, but about the dance they just learned to help them remember the steps of long division. I will share with students the “real me”. How can I expect them to be honest and open with me unless I am honest and open with them? I will get to know my students as human beings not just students, their goals, concerns, dreams, and families will be of interest. I will strive to connect with each student in the class as well as foster a tight knit classroom community.
What I believe sets me apart as a teacher is my determination to endure. I believe that complacency kills; I will always move forward. I will continue to create challenging goals for my students and myself, and work to accomplish them. I have a passion for students and their education. When I am teaching I feel excited, full of energy. I experience a genuinely unique enthusiasm to be with students and to have the opportunity to teach them. I am drawn not only to the rewards, but also challenges of teaching.
My personal teaching philosophy has been greatly influenced by the anonymous poem titled What Teachers Make. The poem begins with a CEO explaining to other dinner guests the problem with education. He reminded the guests what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” The CEO asks Bonnie a dinner guest who is a teacher what she makes. Bonnie triumphantly gives her reply as to what teachers make by concluding the argument with “I make a difference. What do you make?” The great Aristotle said, “those that know do. Those that understand teach.” His philosophy parallels my own in that teaching requires not only understanding of the subject, but of the student. I believe that children are our future. As we progress into the 21st century, children will become one of our most valuable assets. The quality of education that they receive will determine our future. Quality teachers, who understand, have the ability and passion to teach will be crucially instrumental in the quality of our life, and society moving forward.
- Keltsey Wilkes
If you were to walk past my classroom you would see interactive, cooperative learning. You would hear students chatting with one another, not about what they did that weekend, but about the dance they just learned to help them remember the steps of long division. I will share with students the “real me”. How can I expect them to be honest and open with me unless I am honest and open with them? I will get to know my students as human beings not just students, their goals, concerns, dreams, and families will be of interest. I will strive to connect with each student in the class as well as foster a tight knit classroom community.
What I believe sets me apart as a teacher is my determination to endure. I believe that complacency kills; I will always move forward. I will continue to create challenging goals for my students and myself, and work to accomplish them. I have a passion for students and their education. When I am teaching I feel excited, full of energy. I experience a genuinely unique enthusiasm to be with students and to have the opportunity to teach them. I am drawn not only to the rewards, but also challenges of teaching.
My personal teaching philosophy has been greatly influenced by the anonymous poem titled What Teachers Make. The poem begins with a CEO explaining to other dinner guests the problem with education. He reminded the guests what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” The CEO asks Bonnie a dinner guest who is a teacher what she makes. Bonnie triumphantly gives her reply as to what teachers make by concluding the argument with “I make a difference. What do you make?” The great Aristotle said, “those that know do. Those that understand teach.” His philosophy parallels my own in that teaching requires not only understanding of the subject, but of the student. I believe that children are our future. As we progress into the 21st century, children will become one of our most valuable assets. The quality of education that they receive will determine our future. Quality teachers, who understand, have the ability and passion to teach will be crucially instrumental in the quality of our life, and society moving forward.
- Keltsey Wilkes