I believe a good teacher, first, has a powerful faith in the future. Like the forester planting an oak seedling knowing he or she will never see the tree in all its glory, I know I may never see the fruits of my labors as teacher. My calling is to plant and nurture seeds that will grow and shape tomorrow.
The good teacher knows and understands students, how they develop and learn. I know that students actively construct and transform their own knowledge based on past experiences and prior learning. I know that students do not all learn in the same way or at the same rate. I believe it is my responsibility as a teacher to be an effective diagnostician of students’ interests, abilities, and prior knowledge. I must then plan learning experiences that will both challenge and allow every student to think and grow.
I believe a good teacher must also understand motivation and the effects of peer interactions on learning. I want all my students to achieve at high levels, so I avoid sorting them and setting them up to compete with each other. I know most learning happens through social interaction; therefore, I structure learning so that students productively collaborate and cooperate with each other the vast majority of class time.
The good teacher must know her subjects and how to help students learn those subjects. I know the good teacher must have a deep appreciation of how knowledge is created in the discipline, how it is organized and how it is linked to other disciplines. I use my knowledge of the discipline to expose my students to modes of critical thinking, encouraging them to analyze, apply, synthesize, and evaluate all they read and hear. I love the subjects I teach, and I know how to make them come alive for my students.
A good teacher cannot begin or continue to inspire learning without being a learner. The good teacher must constantly learn what is new in the discipline. In fact, the good teacher often helps to create new knowledge. To live this belief, I must continuously examine my teaching methods and find new ones. To remain connected to my students, their lives and the schools in which they will practice their professions, I must be a student of society and the constantly changing worlds in which students live. I eagerly and willingly learn from my students as they learn with me.
I believe a teacher is the most powerful of role models. I am ever aware of the awesome obligation I have to “walk my talk” with my students. If I ask them to live their values and beliefs, I must do the same. I expect the best — of myself and others — and, therefore, I usually get the best. I try to treat all people with dignity and respect, and I expect my students to do so also.
Despite writing a teaching philosophy, I really prefer to think about learning and helping others learn as opposed to teaching. I believe many of us have come to accept a working definition that teaching means giving information, which I believe is only the beginning of teaching and certainly only a small part of learning. When one gives information, it is so easy to equate learning with the memorization of that information. Memorization is not always learning because learning requires thinking. I am beginning to understand that the teacher’s greatest gift to the learner is helping the learner be motivated to think, and then to want to learn more.
I believe in the power of questions and questioning strategies to cause thinking. I constantly try to ask questions for which there are no “right” answers. I constantly work to become a better “questioner” for the effective use of questions is the most powerful strategy a teacher has to help students learn.
Finally, I believe a teacher lives to serve. A teacher is dedicated to learning, to his or her discipline, to his or her students, and to making the future the best possible place for all of us to live. These are the challenges I accepted when I chose to be a teacher. I remain committed to them.
This Post Has 11 Comments
Theoretically, we all know we need to encourage our students in their learning. However, it is a challenge to help some students especially if they are totally not interested….In life, some people make it and others don't….as teacher, we cannot be superman and help every students….some students just choose not to learn….they are not the learning type…as what the education system expected….
No such thing as a student that is not the learning type. Every student can learn and will learn when the right door is opened as teachers it is our job to find that right door.
why not start the lesson proper on significant human experience,.it will make them enthusiastic on things they know rather than introducing something unfamiliar.
Steve:
There is an element of truth to what you have said; it is a challenge to help some students (instead of making excuses, face the challenge). Just like there is an element of truth that you have written blunt sentences without a thought!
"In life, some people make it and others don't". My mind worries that there are teachers out there like you, especially ones who make grammatical errors. Can you call yourself a teacher? Or, should there be a title out there for people like you “Teacher to those students who do not challenge me”.
Heidi,
Great response!
Steve,
Everyone can be motivated. As teachers, we must find what motivates them. I have seen the worst of kids do great because of a great teacher.
I am writing an article for our school journal. This article inspires me a lot and can be a source of basic philosophies to become a better teacher.
:LEARNING IS BY DOING"
"Education made fun, is learning made easy" as simple as that.
I am a current student and I just wanted to ask, if someone is uninterested or resists to becoming motivated about education or even just learning a particular subject how can you motivate them? Isn't it the same as "you can force people to seek help or accept help"?
i am a TEFL student.could you give me a perfect definition of TEACHING and LEARNING ? thank u
I am very sad to see if my teacher thinks that I am a not learning person,if all teachers think that way.
I am a student learning in a second language for a degree,I sometimes think that I may be a burden to my teacher asking so many questions and when an answer is given I don't really get what I want,I send so many emails on trying to get me to understand what I don't understand. I sometimes think that I shouldn't be doing this study because I need to learn more about the second language that I use in the study. In my heart I love learning but the language barrier is bothering me and made me fall behind a bit ,so what I am saying is that a teacher has to understand all the barriers that bother the learning ability of a student before all, this will avoid making wrong conclusions