Teaching philosophy

“Follow your dreams, they know the way”

           

In education, each individual follows their own philosophy; each one has a certain path in which they follow. My philosophy of teaching is based on my own experience through the road of my education. As a child I have had great experience with great teachers whom left a great impact on me and my life career. That is one approach I want to follow, is to be like them. I want to be the one teacher who will never be forgotten, and I want my ways to be used generation after another. All teachers go through ups and downs, but the most important thing is to learn from our mistakes and keep going, no one is perfect. We should be able to accept these mistakes and learn from them. And as much as we achieve and acquire through our journey, it will never be enough, we should always look forward to being better. And most important is to always be passionate of our job, and follow our dreams to reach the ultimate success and be proud of where we’ve ended up.

A teacher is not just a teacher; she is a mother, a friend, a guider and a helper. Her job is not based on teaching and giving information only, her job or to make it more specific her responsibility is a combination of one as I mentioned above. A teacher should be passionate and enthusiastic for her job, this definitely will reflect on the students and their motivation to learn in a positive way.  Teaching a second language to new beginning learners is not an easy job. That is why each teacher should be able to reflect her love for her job in order to have great impact on the students.

The most important thing is to enter the class like entering another world. A world about the teacher and students only, where learning is the main goal and functioning is the ultimate objective. Where the students and the teacher are interacting, jumping through different techniques, using different approaches, and traveling to another world of exploration. Learning should be a process in which one looks forward for, and always the teacher should open the way for them to be tempted to acquire and achieve.

I want to shed the light on the physical arrangement of the classroom. Most teachers don’t consider the classroom setting a factor that affects the learning process and lack the notice of the major role it plays with the student’s emotions. It is essential to have a well-organized classroom full of life and energy, because it drives students to a healthy learning process. First of all, in my classroom, I want bright colors that make the students feel alive, I want pictures and visuals that create a learning atmosphere, and give the students a solid view of certain things, like themes of the lesson, tables, charts, the current season, and so on. It is important to show the students that the classroom is an area that reflects the outside world and their needs.  Students should have comfortable desks and chairs, so nothing would keep them from focusing while the teacher is explaining. They should be seated according to their physiological needs.

The curiosity of students is endless; they are growing individuals that want to be open to the world. The teacher should be able to tackle such, and always introduce topics that are beyond their thinking abilities and knowledge. They should get that sense of challenge and be able to challenge them-selves and succeed. There should always be the sense of competition between them, to always seek deeper and come up with wonderful ideas and productions. That is why the teacher should be a dynamic individual in whom she is active all the time and have her students active as well.

A teacher should not forget about classroom management. It’s important to set rules, and be consistent. We should be able to manage the behaviour of the students in the classroom, in any activity they do. It’s also essential that teachers interacts and communicate with students in a calm and meaningful way, focusing on positive behaviour while providing a climate where student’s needs are met. Students should be able with time to recognize their own misbehaviours and be aware of the consequences.  Moreover, the teacher should show students that they are valued individuals, and consider their positive outcomes, and show them that she cares, so they feel accepted and loved which will lead to more involvement.

In addition, classroom rules should be jotted clearly on a poster, or strips of paper, and put on a bulletin board in the classroom, where all the students can see it, and always remember the common rules that they should follow. And as well they should be aware of the consequences of breaking the rules, and as mentioned previously, the teacher should maintain consistency to keep her students under control, and to avoid any misbehaviour. 

Furthermore, one of the keys to achieving classroom management is through the discipline approaches. Have your students take part in formulating classroom rules. When they are involved in that, it is more likely that they will behave better and become more committed to do so.  As long as the teacher is consistent with her rules, and gives them fair feedback, and motivates them when they behave well, the more they will work harder to behave even better, and in this case the teacher will have her-self, a well stable atmosphere, and a healthy one, where she and the students are taking their roles in accurate manners.

A teacher should be a facilitator, in which she is always there to guide and help, at the same time, back up a bit and leave the students some space to explore and search. She should use a wide variety of techniques in her teaching. The class should be a suspicious period for all the students to look forward each day, and not a systematic one with the same routine going on and on. Learning styles should be a series of new ways each and every day. Learning and having fun at the same time is what each student needs in order to achieve.

It is important that a teacher manages her classroom in a way that serves both, her and the students. She should stick to her values and goals of teaching. Open the way in her classroom for students to work in groups and interact, have them practice real life skills, to be open to the outside world. Let them think and use their cognition in a beneficial way. Students should be able to do their own work and thinking, moreover having independent learners is every teacher’s goal.  Students should feel free to ask questions as much as possible to find all the answers they are seeking.

In order to achieve the ultimate goal of student learning, implementing strategies that create a collaborative and safe atmosphere and encourage the application of knowledge is critical. I believe that these strategies help students become ready and able to utilize their knowledge in their studies and in the outside world. I believe that this is what our students need nowadays for learning to take place.

Another important factor is emphasizing motivation in the classroom. Motivation is an essential factor. A teacher should be able to motivate her students intrinsically and extrinsically, in order to push them towards working more, and seeking for more than what they give. She should be able to out from them as much as possible. A student is a closed book, and no one is able to open this book but her.

One of the most important factors is to have clear objectives and goals for every lesson and follow the plan instructed to meet the entire goal. It is important that we follow the objectives so that we don’t lose track of time, and so that students don’t get lost, and to reach our target goal, from a certain lesson.

Implementing group work, and pair work is very beneficial in the classroom. This is one of the important factors as well. Students should be able to work collaboratively and use their skills to fulfill different duties, which will help them later on in their life as they develop and transfer to higher stages.

My duty which might be the hardest but the most important is to know my students very well, and consider the differences among them. Each student is different, and learns in a different way. Each student has a certain characteristic that I should notice, and sometimes they might have certain problems that affect their acquiring, but at the same time, once I am aware of it I can manage to find solutions and try to help her/him overcome the problem. However with those who go through severe issues, need more care and attention. I need to work with them according to their abilities, and try to have some empathy, to help them avoid failure and experience success, to motivate them and keep them on the right path in their learning process.

Self-efficacy is the major characteristic that should be there in each teacher. As a future teacher, self-efficacy and confidence should be there, in order to achieve all the practices I have mentioned before, in order to have a successful classroom, and be that teacher that would leave a print in every students mind. My role involves using my expertise to put the necessary resources in the hands of the students or more likely to be sure that my students are well equipped to find and evaluate the resources they need to answer their questions. I consider that a teacher should start with herself, and then point out to her students, because my passion and determination will reflect on them positively and my irresponsibility and uncaring to the career would defiantly reflect negatively.

Being a teacher is something that comes from inside of us. A passion for the job, the desire to teach and be the reason for the change in many individuals lives. It is a job in which one should take seriously and work hard for. But it is beautiful to feel that you are changing, you are helping, guiding, and leading. And the best part of it is being loved by them, cherished and trusted.

It’s not easy to be a teacher but it is a wonderful and fruitful career. It is she who takes the first steps towards life with each and every one of us since our beginning till the end.  I believe teaching is the most important provision because I am helping to educate a generation to function knowledgeably. That is why I will end this by recalling Robert Jon Meehan’s quote which is: “We didn’t go into teaching to get rich, but to enrich others”.

Here I come future generation; I can’t wait to meet you guys.

                        And no it’s not the end, it’s the beginning.