Teaching Philosophy
During my final weeks of undergrad, I asked one of my professors if they had any insight or advice into teaching—whether it be composition, literature, or any of the other various fields of study that get lumped in with the “English” major. I had worked closely with this professor for several years, and I respected their opinion a great deal. They laughed at first, but then spoke sincerely: “Gratitude—no matter how difficult a challenge seems, remember to be grateful.” I was caught off-guard, expecting something more technical or complex. After I asked for clarification, they simply smiled and replied, “you’ll begin to understand once you get started.”
As an instructor, this advice remains a steadfast, guiding principle within everything I do—whether it be teaching, grading, planning, or conferencing with students. Teaching at the post-secondary level has been my dream for a long time, since before I graduated high school or ever made my college decision. Recognizing this passion, remembering where I started, and being grateful for every day, every lesson, and every opportunity has been critical to my philosophy as a teacher. Gratitude helps hold me accountable to my students, my fellow instructors, and myself—even in the midst of an ongoing pandemic and an era of remote, virtual learning.
While there are many crucial aspects of accountability, goal-setting and the creation of clear objectives are perhaps the most important. As an educator, I have several primary goals: to create growth through experience and practice, to find purpose in every activity and assignment, and to develop confidence and compositional excellence within each student. I firmly believe every student has the ability to become a “good” writer and that writing or being able to effectively communicate has the power to change a person’s life. Therefore, through higher transferability, greater accessibility, and increased engagement, each student has the power to change their life through writing.
In terms of governing methodologies or practices, my most substantial engagement stems from Nelson Graff’s theories on transferability, as well as Nathaniel Rivers’ and Ryan Weber’s understanding of rhetorical ecologies. These methods, working in tandem with Jody Shipka’s ideas on multimodality and task-based frameworks, have informed both my pedagogical approaches to teaching composition and my research interests in hiring literacies. Hiring literacies focuses on the ability, confidence, and willingness of students to engage with language in order to acquire, construct, communicate, discover, evaluate, and establish a working relationship within a professional setting. Additionally, my teaching philosophy follows Freire’s “problem posing” approach and bell hooks’ engaged pedagogy in creating an outlet for students to feel safe while remaining vulnerable and allowing students to passionately interact with questions that might better help them read their world.
Above all else, the composition classroom is a community, tasked with building each other up and navigating the writing process together. My role in the classroom is not that of the interventionist but instead of the facilitator, encouraging students to seek out personal power and confidence through meaningful connection with the course material. The role of the facilitator is one of encouragement, acceptance, open-mindedness, and passion—all of which I would consider among my strengths as an educator. In a world that often seeks to use rhetoric as a weapon or destructive tool, my role in the classroom can also be that of a rehabilitator; students should recognize that powerful rhetoric does not have to be offensive or negative but can instead be comforting and invoke hope or positive change.
Beyond these traits, I also encourage students to recognize the writing process and composition classroom for what it is: a forgiving, non-linear, and multifaceted space where all elements of “English”, such as rhetoric, composition, literature, creative writing, and language studies/linguistics, can be integrated and utilized to confidently reflect an individual’s experiences and knowledge.
As a first-time teacher and instructor, I recognize that I am far from perfect and have much to learn about navigating the classroom. There are many areas in which I strive to become better, though I believe these changes will come with time and dedication to improvement. I will continue to try to create opportunities for high transferability and real-world applications of course material. I will prioritize inquiry- and task-based learning, center student experience as an entry point for accessible learning and prioritize goal-setting and visualization. And through this whole process, above all else, I will continue to be grateful.