Teaching Statement

I believe that every child has a gift hidden away inside them. I believe that as educators, it is our job to provide a safe environment. Safe not only in the physical sense but academically, where the child feels like they can take risks and make mistakes. Creating this environment can open doors for young minds to pursue academia at its fullest, asking questions and pursuing their interests along with what they are good at. My desire as an educator is to cultivate an environment where kids feel safe. Safe enough to pursue their interests and use their gifts.

To cultivate such an environment, I believe that there are three things a teacher must do. (1) The teacher must put himself or herself in the role of being a guide for the children, (2) they should encourage children to pursue what they like and what they're good at, and (3) hold Kids to high expectations, expect greatness, and believe in them.

A teacher as a guide. A teacher in this role directs kids, and pointing them in the direction of their interests and encouraging them to pursue their gifts. They are there as a resource of knowledge but not the primary source. They should encourage kids to seek out answers to their unique questions, cultivating a desire to learn and to find answers for themselves. For students to truly grasp a concept, I believe it is important for them to actively take part in their learning instead of just being told what is true and what isn't. They discover it for themselves.

Encouraging interests and pursuing gifts. A teacher who encourages interests and gifts gives a clear target for a student. To me, this is to pursue what you love and what you might be good at. If a student is interested in pursuing a certain subject area, then cater to it and let them explore it so that they might take interest and ownership of their learning. A student who takes ownership in the curriculum will work hard and do the work necessary to succeed.

A teacher needs to establish high expectations that are suitable for all their students under their supervision. These expectations must be high but not too lofty. They are essential for students to reach their goals. A teacher who practices high expectations creates an environment for young people to view their own learning rather than banking on the teacher to reassure them that they've learned. Having high expectations cultivates intrinsic motivation in students.

For me, teaching is an opportunity to provide kids with a bridge. What this means to me is that as an educator, it is my job to provide a place where students can find their interests and discover their gifts and use these gifts to direct them to where they might want to go. It is my job as the educator to provide the necessary means to get them there. To take kids' interests and gifts and provide a way for kids to use them and apply them to their future.