Who Am I, As An Educator?
My teaching experience has molded me into an educator who invests in their students success, whatever their definition of success may be. Teaching in schools with cultural diverse communities and of vastly different upbringings has revealed my purpose as an educator is to help students flourish and grow in and outside my classroom. We all start from different places and our end goals may look quite different academically, emotionally, or personally. As an educator I recognize every students individual potential and direction.
In my classroom, students feel like part of a community; they can express ideas and emotions in diverse, creative, and cohesive ways. Dewey viewed the classroom as a social entity for students to problem-solve as a community; similarly, in my philosophy of education, I will be facilitating opportunities for students to collaborate and learn from and with one another. My philosophical outlook emphasizes interactive experiences, and I aim for my students to be actively engaging with the course content.
Ultimately, my aim as an educator is to help struggling youth. I support, guide, and push my students to show them their individual capabilities. As an educator I am strong-minded and a bit tough, but I am also kind, caring, and sympathetic. This balance can help this generation overcome the physical, mental, social, and academic challenges that the pandemic has further formed. I became a teacher because it was my first love, and I have been able to merge that with my passion for art. I didn’t become a teacher to simply teach art, but rather I have a passion for teaching and guiding youth who need someone to care. I have always been drawn to the inner-city schools that don’t have the perfect students, flawless records, and the richest of resources. As an educator I want to make a difference and help students reform their futures into brighter ones.
My main teachable is Visual Arts which informs my innovative teaching practice. I aim to create a space where creative and conceptual thinking can flourish. In my classroom you will always find active dialogue. The participation in ongoing discussion allows students to be reflective, mirroring Sheryl V. Taylor’s purpose for the responsive classroom initiative derived from Dewey’s theories. Taylor stresses the importance of different opinions and perspectives; and the link between academic success and social-emotional learning. To conclude, my progressive and pragmatic philosophy of education emphasizes social, active, and experiential learning. This approach allows for strong connections made between the students’ lives and the course content. Most importantly, promoting and facilitating learning outside of the four classroom walls.