I believe that…
- All students have the capacity to learn. Whether they do so or not depends on many factors, all of which can be influenced by a caring and adept teacher. If students are underperforming due to a lack of interest in the content, it is my job to find a way to make the information relevant to them by drawing parallels to the present day and to their personal lives. If students are underperforming because they are low-skilled, it is my job to scaffold the material in ways that build fundamentals while also getting the content across. If students are underperforming because they have different learning styles, it is my job to provide differentiated lesson plans that will engage auditory, visual, and tactile learners. If they’re underperforming because of problems at home, it is my job to identify who those students are, to get them the help they need, and to make sure my classroom is always a safe space.
- Students learn best when they actively participate in the learning process. When students engage directly with the material, they understand the content better, retain the information longer, and feel more motivated to achieve. For this reason, I create learner-centered lesson plans that call on students to discover information through a variety of primary and secondary sources. By emphasizing self-discovery, I encourage a level of involvement that helps students develop a sense of ownership over their studies and pushes them to grow into autonomous learners.
- Preparing students for standardized tests does not mean class has to be boring. One of the biggest responsibilities of public school teachers is to prepare students for standardized tests. Many educators dislike this aspect of the job because they think that focusing on standardized tests makes for dry, uninspiring lessons. I disagree. Central to my teaching philosophy is the belief that preparation for standardized tests and creativity are not mutually exclusive. In my classroom, I found ways to ready my students for the state and national tests while keeping my lessons fun, engaging, and relevant. Thought-provoking “Do Now” questions, along with regular activities, allow me the freedom to cover all necessary content while keeping students locked in.
- All students should receive preparation for a democratic society. Social studies educators are responsible for teaching their students raw content (the who-what-when-where-and-whys of history), but must also prepare students for citizenship. To do this, I plan activities and discussions that push students to consider multiple perspectives on various topics. Structured in-class debates both reinforce content and give students a platform to express themselves. They also help adolescents build the critical thinking skills that they will carry with them into adulthood and rely on when determining how their neighborhood, city, state, or country will run.
- Students who are held to high expectations produce the best results. Because I know all students can learn, I let them know that I expect them to do so. Though the work I assign is often very challenging, effective scaffolding and differentiation ensures that my students are never to put in a position where they cannot succeed. And of course, success breeds success, so once they see they can meet my high expectations, they will continue to push themselves to do so throughout the semester and for the rest of their lives.
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