My educational philosophy facilitates analytical thinking and encourages inquiry-based learning. By developing lessons based on students’ questions and interests, I have been able to foster classroom environments in which students can learn from one another’s questions. My time in the classroom has provided me with space to analyze and reflect upon this teaching philosophy and how it can effectively be implemented. How teachers create conditions for students to learn is rather complex. Students must be situated to learn in ways that are memorable, relatable, and unique to their own experiences. Getting to know each student on an individual basis has allowed me to become a more effective instructor in ELA and in multimodal learning environments.

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Connecting with my students and their families in meaningful ways has been crucial to ensuring that they do not get lost in a flawed educational system. It has required that I develop opportunities for learning that are consistent and supportive. In doing so, I am able to ensure that my classroom remains a safe space for academic engagement and reflection.

 

One of the greatest challenges that I have encountered in the past has been attempting to reach students who did not initially seem like they wanted to engage in the lesson that was being taught. This was at times due to learners finding the material to be disengaging. The solution was often to provide scaffolding for the assignments, to provide additional explanations and support, or to model parts of the lesson to enhance student comprehension. Striving to reinforce things that the student already knew while providing a framework to understand new concepts was very beneficial in this way. This helped students to counteract any negative thoughts about learning, and any doubts that they may have about their own abilities to succeed.

 

While working toward earning my master’s degree, I spent a significant amount of time researching the ways in which certain urban communities have become and remained disenfranchised. I learned that certain systemic issues cause undue stress for young students, such as financial instability, timely access to meals, or even calling a safe place “home”. This is why I consistently seek to foster a classroom environment that is assuring and critically engaging, where there is room for exploration, growth, and to make and learn from mistakes. Each of the individual students I have encountered has been resilient within their own right.

 

They remind me of my mission, which has been to find ways to actively give back to my community. This mission is both humbling and demanding, but nevertheless gives me a profound sense of purpose in knowing that there is always more work to be done.