Teaching Philosophy
My goal in teaching is to encourage and inspire students to independently desire and seek an education. Instead of teaching down to students, I set out to be a guide so students are encourated to seek their own answers and find their own knowledge. Teaching this independence and personal responsibility transcends my hope that they learn the content of chapter fourteen or the definition of, well, anything. As a teacher, what grounds me are two questions, and those questions are the framework for everything that I do in the classroom.
Questions
Question 1:
What is my objective?
Every unit, worksheet, and test begins with this question. I was trained with an assessment tool similar to the one that Rockwood just adopted, so I have been indoctrinated with this series of steps that must be taken for every lesson. Step 1 entails writing the objectives in measurable terms. Teaching with the objective in mind helps me be a better teacher. It sounds so simple, but coming back to that one question is so important.
My class, AP Language & Composition, is a course about writing arguments. Just last week I came up with an assignment for the students. I asked the students about the repercussions of allowing children to use technology. I asked them: What do you think about the benefits of children using technology? What are the problems?
What was the objective of this assignment? My objective was to make students aware of a current issue. Even though I don’t teach one of the social sciences, I still think it’s critical to incorporate newsworthy events in order to create enlightened citizens. Another objective was to make them consider all sides of an issue. My objective was to make them write a sound argument. I wanted to push them; I wanted to challenge them, so I restricted their arguments to a one-page document. Objective? I wanted to force them to concentrate on their main points without superfluous words that mask the evidence that supports their claims. By keeping to the objectives, I not only push them, but I also push myself to come up with new ideas and material.
Question 2: So what?
In the past, the majority of my students received 4s on the AP exam, and then I had a record number of 5s, the top score, in 2007. I think the key to my success came when I started asking students “So what?” during discussions to promote critical thinking.
During discussions, students are expected to answer questions about the article or topic, and I like to challenge them to look deeper and find a reason and a purpose for the author’s decisions. Writers are deliberate with their organization and diction, so identifying the unique characteristics is not enough. Students must go further. In order to push ourselves, we must all ask, “So what? If he did this, why? So what was he trying to do?”
We have to push kids to look beyond the basics, and this is
how I attempt to accomplish this task.
For every answer, “So what?” should be asked, not only of the
students, but also of myself.
This question motivates all of us to think critically about
the world around us.
Technology
I think it’s important to bring the world into the classroom. My curriculum is centered on argument and rhetorical analysis, and it would be shameful, I think, to ignore the controversial topics that surround us when they are so real and relevant to our world. I bring those topics into my room by incorporating video clips into my lessons, usually from news sites like CNN and MSNBC. If we discuss the emotional appeal as a form or manipulation in arguments and advertisements, I may pull up the clip of Hillary Clinton as she had her “emotional moment” in New Hampshire right before the primary election. I believe it’s important to make education as alive as we can. It’s equally important to make the curriculum as current and relevant as possible, and that’s possible thanks to the power of technology. I enjoy sharing that love of technology with other teachers, too, and have presented at two conventions this year. I presented at a state convention for Successlink in July and a national convention for College Board in November. Both presentations were about using technology in the classroom to improve the delivery of curricula.
The students appreciate my use of technology. When sick or out of town, my students can access worksheets and lesson plans. Sometimes I put my own notes online for the students to use. There are other times that I put old tests on the calendar for students to use as a student guide or practice before a big unit exam. They know where to look for everything – msnoel.com.
Connecting
I am very accessible to my students. I arrive at 6:40 am every day and leave close to 4pm because I want students to be able to find me if they have a question. I like seeing students in the community, too. I want students to feel comfortable enough to approach me about a grade or an essay. We all receive praises from time-to-time from an appreciative student, but my favorite compliment was from a young girl last year. She wrote, “Some teachers teach at you. You teach with us. Thanks.”
Smile
My epiphany occurred earlier in the year when I overheard a student say to another, “She said she didn’t have time. I don’t know why she’s complaining about grading. She picked the profession.”
Maybe this would make some teachers angry, but it didn’t make me mad at all. Instead, I started thinking about all of the times that I have complained (usually in the lounge) about grading essays or tests, and then I realized that, unfortunately, that kid is right! Didn’t I know I would be grading essays when I became an English teacher? Didn’t I realize that I would be grading six page essays when I opted for AP Lang? Yes. Quite simply, yes. And that’s quite silly.
There are so many things that we can control in our classrooms like the objectives and the video clips. I’ve decided to focus on them and not the things that I can’t change. I want to focus on the students and what I can do for them. I want to smile as I profess my love for teaching.
As usual, it goes back to this: What’s the objective? So what’s next?
Communicating with Parents
I communicate with parents primarily through emails and the website. It's just easier to exchange information this way. Grades are, of course, posted on the online gradebook, so the data is always available. I believe it's very important that grades are kept current and accurate for parents and students alike. While I am always available for consultation, parents usually visit me during parent/teacher conferences and periodic encounters in the grocery stores. I am glad that I live in the community so my parents and neighbors know that they can find me when they need me -- and they do! It's GREAT!