Teaching Philosophy

Teaching philosophy is a very important aspect to teaching because it shows the basis of what the teacher is trying to accomplish. My own personal philosophy comes from my many years in school. I have found out that there are two categories of teachers; good ones, and the not so good ones. My philosophy comes mostly from the ones in the later category but its not to say that my ideas on teaching philosophy did not come from the "good ones" as well. I have been in school about 15 years of my life and I feel the right to say which teachers are good and which one aren't. The base of my teaching philosophy includes respect between the teacher and the student, interesting teaching methods that get the students excited about learning and fairness.

I have always found it funny that teachers seem to believe that they can make the rules for the students but don't actually have to follow them their selves. When a teacher assumes a role of "dominance" over the students, it seems to rub the students the wrong way and there becomes friction. I think that it is important to show that the teacher and the student have an equal playing field so that the teacher really can set a good example for his/her students, not just say it.

The next idea that I think is very important in my teaching philosophy is making the subject matter being taught interesting and fun to the students. I have discovered by myself that I excelled in anything that got my interest. It is a natural thing to want to learn more about something we are interested in because it is fun.

Lastly I think it is important to be fair. When I say fair, I mean mainly in judgement. With kids, their is rarely a black and white type of answer. It is important to understand that all students are going through different obstacles at different times and it is my duty to listen and understand.

I can't say that I have been a teacher and using these philosophies really work. What I can say is that these ideals do apply to everyday life and I put them in practice all the time. It works for me and I hope it will as well in the classroom.