My general teaching focus is to promote students learning by fostering creativity and critical thinking skills, engaging students in their learning environment, assisting students to develop positive mental health and coping practices, and creating an environment that is conducive to open-minded, respectful discussions.
I have developed my respect and passion for teaching throughout my life. Although the decision to pursue teaching as a career was a decision made later, I feel as though I have always fulfilled the role of teacher and leader. I was always the student others went to for help with homework and advice. I even used to simulate a learning environment in my playroom as a child, with my younger brothers as the students. I would design worksheets and teach them how to do simple math problems. When I moved onto post-secondary school, I started tutoring my friends and family in math and science. This is where I truly discovered my love for teaching. The moment when a student starts to understand a concept they previously struggled with is absolutely breath-taking, and truly one of the moments that make teachers the most proud. It was also during this time that my passion for mental health and wellbeing became stronger. Due to this, mental health and well-being will be of utmost importance in my classroom.
When reflecting on the reasons I want to be a teacher, the list is extensive; however, the most important reason is that I want to make a difference and I want to help people. I have always felt like my calling in life was to help people however I can. Despite my original thought that this would be through a medical career, I discovered that I could have a greater impact through teaching. Through teaching, I can help students become prepared for the world ahead of them by equipping them with the proper knowledge and skills needed. Another reason I chose the teaching profession was because I want students to see that science and math can be fun and enjoyable subjects, even though they are more complex and difficult.
My focus within the classroom is to create an environment that is safe, respectful and inclusive of all students. I believe all students are unique, and the classroom should be a place where they can develop their creativity and critical thinking skills. It is my desire to create an environment where students can reach their full potential physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. I will do my best to ensure that students have a safe environment where they feel comfortable to share their ideas and take risks. To accomplish this, I aim to enter the classroom each day with a positive attitude, an open-mind and high expectations for myself and my students in hopes that I can inspire my students to embody these traits as well. However, I will also instill the importance of positive coping mechanisms with my students. I know what it is like to struggle within school trying to be perfect. I will ensure my students know that they are enough, that they are valued, that they are smart, that they will do great things, and that failure doesn’t define them.
In terms of assessments, I aim to incorporate a mixture of different teaching and learning techniques, including projects, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, and individual work that will keep students engaged and excited about the content. I also aim to incorporate arts into the curriculum, alongside lots of inquiry-based activities, to foster creativity. This is important to me because creativity has a lot of different benefits including increased self-expression, the promotion of critical thinking and problem-solving, and the reduction of stress and anxiety. I will also do my best to cater lessons to different types of learners, so that learning is optimized for the largest number of students. Following, I will aim to make the content relevant to my students in order to maintain their interest in the subject matter.
Another aspect I will incorporate into my classroom is the theory of critical consciousness, developed by Paulo Freire. “Critical Consciousness refers to the process by which individuals apply critical thinking skills to examine their current situations, develop a deeper understanding about their concrete reality, and devise, implement, and evaluate solutions to their problems.” In the current climate of our world, awareness about the issues is extremely important in fighting against the systems of inequality. This includes teaching students about past issues that led to our current situation. As American philosopher George Santayana stated “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Finally, my goals as a teacher candidate are to keep learning as much as I can so I can be the best teacher possible, to gain more confidence in myself as a future teacher, and to make meaningful connections with my teachers, my peers, and my future students.