Because I have wanted to be a teacher since I was little, I like to think that I have an understanding of what my Teaching Philosophy is. Being able to be a teacher is one thing. Being able to be an efficient teacher, one that does not leave any student behind, is another thing. That kind of teacher takes someone who is completely dedicated to their job.
I believe that a good teacher is one who manages to make a difference in a student’s life. To do this they would have to have a deep understanding of what they are teaching, obviously. They would also have to have the ability to connect to each and every one of my students while being able to recognize what each student specifically needs to excel in school.
Being able to recognize what 25 people need is hard, especially if they are all different. With the experiences I plan to gain in the Peace Corp., by the time I am ready to come back and find a school to teach in, I will be able to do this with greater strength then if I was just to go straight into the classroom.
In the classroom today, teachers need to be able to be flexible and still get all the required material covered. With today’s classrooms being mostly virtual, teachers have a hard job of maintaining each student’s focus. This is where things like making up songs or dances to help the students remember something comes in handy. It allows the students to stay focused while still gaining an understanding of the lesson.
The biggest part of becoming a great teacher means that I have to be able to change. I have to be able to change how I do something when that process is not working for a certain student. I have to be fair to all my students and that will require me to have the ability to do whatever that child needs even if it is completely different from the rest of the class, all the while still being able to be fair to the rest of the class. I also have to be able to accept criticism from my fellow teachers, parents, and bosses. Any criticism would help be be the best teacher I can be.