Philosophy of education
Purpose of teaching
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
I believe that the purpose of teaching is twofold. First, the purpose is to equip students to succeed and to overcome by giving them the challenge and the support necessary to master the content material and apply it to real life situations. This is a goal of caring for them in the most powerful way: by helping them to be self- sufficient learners.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
Second, the purpose of teaching is to challenge students to think critically about their world and to engage it in a positive way. My goal is to give my students the support, guidance, and encouragement necessary to apply their learning in meaningful contexts.
Effective Teaching
“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care”
At the basis of learning is a relationship. I believe that my ability to teach my students is directly related to my individual relationship with each one of them. I must be more than the “sage on a stage” who presents information in a fun and engaging way. I must take time to know and care about each one and how they are doing both in class and outside of it. It is important to have their rapport AND their respect.
“Everyone learns at a different pace”, but “Everyone can learn.”
Effective teaching makes room for student variation. At the same time that I seek to meet the different needs of each student, I also believe firmly that each student can learn.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
I believe that students learn best when they are interested in what is being taught. Students are motivated by: learning that is useful and applicable to their life or a cause that interests them, learning in which they are encouraged to discover and construct knowledge based on their discoveries rather than simply being told the answer and teachers who set high standards for their students and provide the necessary support to reach these standards.
Teaching as a Gift
“Knowledge is power.”
By giving my students access to a quality education and the necessary support to attain it, I am helping them in one of the best ways possible. Learning is one of the greatest gifts I can give my students. A good education is one of the greatest contributing factors to helping people escape cycles of poverty and violence and enables them to themselves help others. Such a valuable gift is not to be taken lightly: student learning is the focus in my classroom.
“I am so thankful to be a teacher!”
Working with students daily is an amazing privilege and responsibility, for which I am truly thankful. There will certainly be days when teaching is hard and it is in those days that I will continue to remind myself to choose thankfulness for the opportunity to work with students and help them learn.
As a Christian Educator
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
Teaching is a mission field. As a Christian and a teacher my mission is to pray for my students, to teach them with all integrity so that they can learn and be prepared to succeed, and to live out daily an example of Christ’s love and trust in his power so that they might see Christ in me and see his love through me. Since I must answer to God, I work with all diligence, teach with all integrity, and believe in my student’s without tiring or losing hope.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
I believe that the purpose of teaching is twofold. First, the purpose is to equip students to succeed and to overcome by giving them the challenge and the support necessary to master the content material and apply it to real life situations. This is a goal of caring for them in the most powerful way: by helping them to be self- sufficient learners.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
Second, the purpose of teaching is to challenge students to think critically about their world and to engage it in a positive way. My goal is to give my students the support, guidance, and encouragement necessary to apply their learning in meaningful contexts.
Effective Teaching
“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care”
At the basis of learning is a relationship. I believe that my ability to teach my students is directly related to my individual relationship with each one of them. I must be more than the “sage on a stage” who presents information in a fun and engaging way. I must take time to know and care about each one and how they are doing both in class and outside of it. It is important to have their rapport AND their respect.
“Everyone learns at a different pace”, but “Everyone can learn.”
Effective teaching makes room for student variation. At the same time that I seek to meet the different needs of each student, I also believe firmly that each student can learn.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
I believe that students learn best when they are interested in what is being taught. Students are motivated by: learning that is useful and applicable to their life or a cause that interests them, learning in which they are encouraged to discover and construct knowledge based on their discoveries rather than simply being told the answer and teachers who set high standards for their students and provide the necessary support to reach these standards.
Teaching as a Gift
“Knowledge is power.”
By giving my students access to a quality education and the necessary support to attain it, I am helping them in one of the best ways possible. Learning is one of the greatest gifts I can give my students. A good education is one of the greatest contributing factors to helping people escape cycles of poverty and violence and enables them to themselves help others. Such a valuable gift is not to be taken lightly: student learning is the focus in my classroom.
“I am so thankful to be a teacher!”
Working with students daily is an amazing privilege and responsibility, for which I am truly thankful. There will certainly be days when teaching is hard and it is in those days that I will continue to remind myself to choose thankfulness for the opportunity to work with students and help them learn.
As a Christian Educator
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
Teaching is a mission field. As a Christian and a teacher my mission is to pray for my students, to teach them with all integrity so that they can learn and be prepared to succeed, and to live out daily an example of Christ’s love and trust in his power so that they might see Christ in me and see his love through me. Since I must answer to God, I work with all diligence, teach with all integrity, and believe in my student’s without tiring or losing hope.