When I think about these statements, I can't help but think about the little Yoda figure that I have in my car. He talks when you press a button near his feet, and he says things like this:
Size matters not, for my ally is the Force.
Help you I can. Yes. Hmm.
Sense it. You've got to feel the Force around you.
In essence, these are the tenets of Yoda's philosophy--his educational philosophy as Luke's Jedi master and teacher. (OMG--can you believe I am really running with this analogy?)
I wonder what your ed philosophy "boils down to." What nuggets of truth are at the core of your statement?
I look forward to reading your words.
And, I look forward to eating turkey and stuffing. Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.
18 comments:
My teaching is founded on trust; trust is an essential building block of a successful classroom. At the beginning of the year,we learn about each other through our names, our stories, and our voices. This practice helps to create a safe learning environment and to form classroom relationships. Building these relationships facilitates teaching and learning, and shows students that I am invested in them as learners and individuals. With the nurturing of trust in the classroom, students feel confident to share their voices, ideas, and writing, with ease and assurance. This environment gives students a chance to develop respect for me as a person, and as their teacher, while encouraging them to be responsible.
A trusting climate allows me to create opportunities for my students to use their voices and to challenge themselves. Each class begins with writer's notebooks, where students think, reflect, and write. Students are encouraged to share their expressive writing and give their words life in a supportive environment.
When students know I believe in them and in their ability to excel, they are engaged and work hard to participate in active learning. With my commitment and encouragement, my students persevere inside the classroom and out. I teach my students to believe in themselves, to discover their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses. With this knowledge, they will mature, excel, and learn how to build healthy relationships with each other and the adults in their lives.
Hey everyone, this is a work in progress... Any feedback would be appreciated. I hope you all are doing well and have a great Thanksgiving.
Aimee,
I got goosebumps as I read your manifesto. I love it.
Happy holiday to you and your family,
Dr. Cook
I teach hope, respect, awareness, appreciation, and responsibility. My goal for students is to leave my classroom with the tools and desire to recognize and fight against injustice and to be conscientious members of their community. I want my students to recognize the effects that their individual actions have on the community, both within the classroom and the world at large.
It is important to me that each student feels comfortable expressing themselves and I give the opportunity for students to speak to each other in honest and productive ways. I have students work out problems in groups so that they can learn to respect the ideas and concerns of their peers, and I advocate respect in and out of the classroom. I believe in and encourage individuality, but I also know that we all have something to learn from one another and I work to facilitate knowledge sharing.
I teach students to be responsible, to themselves and to one another. When everyone participates and hands in their work on time, the entire classroom community benefits. I ask my students to seek the truth in all things and never stop questioning.
I help my students understand the world they live in, the bad and the good. We discuss the ugly things going on, but also the beautiful. In my classroom, truth always reigns and I will never sugarcoat anything. Above all, I prepare my students for life.
any feedback is much appreciated!!! :)
KATE - I LOVE your philosophy, it speaks to who you are as a person, and as a teacher. My favorite part is where you talk about "the desire to fight against injustice." That is a really strong statement... teaching students to WANT to better themselves and fight for themselves.
If I have any suggestions, it would to read through your philosophy with a highlighter and mark places you talk about similar things. Maybe you mention the things you believe in more than once in different places, even if the meaning is implied. Then condense it - it might help make your philosophy more compact (which seems to be what we are aiming for with these...short and sweet-->although I really think yours is great). I did this with my philosophy and I edited a lot of material out that I didn't realize I was repeating, even in small places. It helped me, so give it a shot if you want. And the part where you talk about the entire classroom community benefiting from everyone participating --> I <3 it :)
First...feedback for my peers!
Aimee- I can really see you in this! Great job! Your thoughs are heartfelt and cemented in your teaching from the stories I have heard! Awesome!
Kate- I LOVE your last line! So true about your teaching! Yet harder tha many people believe it to be! Go get 'em, Kate!
Next... I will tell you that I have PAGES of re-writes and scribbles and thoughts and challenges to my own thoughts (because I think we should all be able to see where someone may challenge our philosophy for us to defend it) and as I was writing a free write from a prior nugget...a sentence came flowing from my pen, that for this moment in my life feels as if it might be my teaching philosophy nugget. I will not give you the pages of drafts, but rather the nugget, which all my other writing just seems to be support for. I would also love feedback! : )
"Learning is done best when it is connected to my students' meaningful realities in and out of school and when I treat the act of learning as an important and individual progression. When we take away the smoke and screens and students know 'why' they have a better potential to learn."
Aimee and Kate--when collegiality works, boy is it good! It feels so great to see you working together--where we all can see!--asking for and offering gentle critique. I like what Aimee says, Kate, about finding places where you may repeat or reiterate a key tenet of your philosophy. And, I, too, felt that your first paragraph is your strongest. I almost feel I'd like to hear the first paragraph with another qualifying paragraph that includes maybe one or two classroom examples (citizen journalism? The Wave?)
Thank you, both, for showing us what good colleagues look like and sound like. Impressive.
I'm signing off for the rest of the week--headed to the North woods to be with my peeps, way off the grid, just the way we like it.
Looking forward to seeing what blossoms here while I'm away. ;-)
Response to my peers:
Aimee: I love the idea of taking the time to create an environment of trust in the classroom. Without trust, the class would seem disjointed and bleak. This philosophy speaks to who you are. You are a nurturer and want your students to not only respect you as their teacher but also a person. I think that your thoughts are spot on!
Kate: I love your use of language. The line "to be conscientious members of their community" is so important. To show students the connection between the classroom and the world outside is so important. I like your focus on student awareness good and bad. I know you are teaching "Night" as am I and is such a great example of your philosophy.
My teaching philosophy:
As an English/Language Arts teacher I believe that creating a safe learning environment for ALL students is the foundation for a sound and progressive academic setting. Spending the necessary time to get to know each student's background and needs not only academically but developmentally and personally establishes a relationship in the classroom where respect, sensitivity towards individuality, patience, and teamwork are the anchors to which knowledge is based.
Once a sense of community is developed, the students are able to focus on being a successful and willing participant in their own learning. One of the main themes I focus on in student learning is the encouragement to look beyond the text and make connections to themselves, other text, and outside the classroom solidifying comprehension and creating meaning.
I expose students to different styles of writing and reading strategies because I feel that each student needs a diverse range of skills to chose from as they become literary thinkers.
As a teacher it is important to me to be a life-long learner and to open the doors of literacy, language and learning to students so they may access what they have learned once they have left my classroom. I realize that not all of my students will become the next James Patterson or Charles Dickens. What I do want them to walk away with is not only a sense of worth as a leaner, but also a deeper understanding of literature and an awareness and responsibility for their own education. This can only be accomplished if the academic setting is one that supports all personality and academic characteristics. This is why I believe as a teacher it is important to lay the foundation for a secure, dependable, and respectful classroom before learning can be achieved.
Please let me know your thoughts fellow teachers! Because I missed out on the first opportunity for feedback, what you say here is all the more important to me.
Over the week I was able to strip down and re-work the philosophy that I shared to the class the other week. This is what I got.
My teaching philosophy is to create a class environment where students can feel safe enough to share their work, interests, and individuality with each other. Having a class where students can not only look to the teacher, but to their peers for guidance and inspiration will make students share their individual strengths.
Trust takes work, and after respectful sharing and talking, students can feel more comfortable learning. When a student raises their hand eager to share a piece of their writing to the class knowing that they will benefit from their peer’s criticisms, I know that I have created a classroom culture where students can trust each other and feel safe enough to put a little piece of themselves out to the class.
As I was doing this, I kept thinking that over the course of months, weeks, or even days our philosophies could change with our experiences. As comfortable as I am with these thoughts, I am excited to see what paths this career will take me, and see what new experiences could affect my ultimate philosophy of teaching. I want to keep this philosophy somewhere and compare it to what I would write in 2 years, or 5 years, or even 10 years.
I love the theme of trust and responsibility that I see in these entries. How often do we meet students that have none of these things?! Its a feeling to really strive for in our classrooms. Lets make it happen, and have a good Thanksgiving!
Kellen, I love the way your philosophy is so solid and to the point. It's awesome. I was thinking about the last line where you say ... "I know that I have created a classroom culture where students can trust each other and feel safe enough to put a little piece of themselves out to the class." I think this really encompasses what we are all trying to create - a place where students feel comfortable and confident to grow and learn. I especially like this part because you mention trusting peers- we focus a lot on creating relationships with our students and allowing them to trust us, but you make a good point when you say that they need to trust each other too...
As I was reading that line...I was thinking what it would sound like if you said "share a piece of themselves with class" instead of "put a piece of themselves out there to the class," but I realize you use the word share in the previous sentence, so it would be repetitive... I was just playing around with the words - This is absolutely just a suggestion - something I was thinking while reading - awesome philosophy.
She'ssssssssssssssssss...from Boston. haha
Aimee:
I think what stands out the most in your manifesto is the strong positive language you use. I especially enjoy the line, “to discover their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses.” And I think it's really great how you touch upon students building healthy relationships with each other and adults. It's an important part of education that I don't think a lot of people talk about much.
Charlene:
"Learning is done best when it is connected to my students' meaningful realities in and out of school”<----Sooo important and hard to do. Getting students to see the benefits of learning and how it applies to the “real world” seems to sway even the most reluctant learners. I think that's a great nugget. I want to see more!
Rebecca:
My favorite line of your manifesto is: “What I do want them to walk away with is not only a sense of worth as a learner, but also a deeper understanding of literature and an awareness and responsibility for their own education.” It's so important for students to develop a sense of responsibility for their education. I think this goes hand in hand with the coddling we've been talking about in class. Instilling a sense of responsibility in young people prepares them for later in life when there may not be someone willing to “hold their hand.” I also love how you talk about a “sense of worth as a learner.” I feel myself thinking about the kids who want to learn and who see the benefits of an education and the kids who complain that school is boring and only come to class to “chill.” Getting the latter kids to value education and learning is a difficult feat, but something we as educators need to work hard at.
Kellen:
I love how you talk about “students sharing their individual strengths” with the rest of the class. I think it's essential for students to realize that learning is not only facilitated by the teacher, but more importantly by themselves and their peers. When students realize that they have strengths they can contribute to the class, it can only result in a boost of confidence and investment in learning.
As I was reading the manifestos (mine included) I was thinking about how important it is to practice reading them out loud like we did in class. I know we're not going to be reciting our manifestos word for word during interviews, but I'm worried that in some parts we can sound a little text booky. Maybe that's what we should sound like? Maybe that's what interviewers want to hear? I don't know. I guess what I'm saying is we should make sure to showcase our personalities in our manifestos because they play such a big part in our teaching and set us apart from one another.
We're a bunch of awesome people! I love everyone's! It's great to see the "teacher" in all of them! I am having the same concern as Kate though, are we suppose to sound textbook and technical or is this suppose to be less formal? Or is that really up to us and how we want to be seen? Does it depend on who we're presenting it too?
I'm also still having a really hard time with the length...I want to have something short that I could practically memorize because I know I am going to be nervous on those first couple interviews and it will give me a base to go off of to explain. But, how short? And how long is too long to talk about a teaching philosophy? I remember Dr. Cook saying it should be like an elevator conversation. About a minute and a half. But, I feel like I could talk for DAYS about this!
I teach for connection and voice.
The connections begin outside of the classroom walls, where I am always wondering, “how could I use that in the classroom?” Eyes and mind open, always searching for new texts, and new ways to present them to students. Connections in the classroom occur in many ways. I connect with the students by treating them like human beings. Human beings with real emotions, real problems, and real interests. I take these emotions and problems, and interests use them to fuel the context and content of my lessons. I create a safe environment where students are able to make connections with each other that can exist beyond writing poetry or reading short stories.
I acknowledge that each student has a voice and I expect that they will use it. When a student speaks in class, they become an active participant in their own learning. Getting students to use their voices and to respond to the voices of others, builds social skills and confidence that are stronger than any curriculum. I want the purpose of learning to be clear and for the students to feel invested in reading and writing, so that they will be critical of themselves, in an effort to improve as students, and more importantly as human beings.
You folks are amazing. HOME S-T-R-E-T-C-H. See you tomorrow night. Please bring your ideas and questions for the final 2 TWS artifacts (remember that I asked you to review the criteria over the holiday weekend). Thanks,
Rich...connection and voice is your thing! When I think of your teaching I immediately think about the way you are always questioning everything around you, and teaching your students to do so as well. You make it a point to teach them that they do not have to take anything at face value, that they can - and should - want more for themselves. A quote that I found in a book recently reminded me of you... "Find the real questions before you go looking for the answers."
I love the part when you say that you take their interests and problems to "fuel" your lessons... It paints a picture of the way you teach them to make connections through their own lives, which is so important. Everything about you shines through this philosophy, I love it. See ya in seminar!
Charlene... the length problem, I was having it too... and then I decided to take one thing...the thing that I focused on most in my classroom, and write about that. It is hard when you believe in so much, to write about one thing... So I chose trust. That is what my entire philosophy was talking about in the first place, and I wrote about everything that came from that trust. Essentially, I threw away my entire first draft. I circled trust,opened a new word document, and began to type. I think this is okay - Look for one "golden nugget" in your paper and run with it, chances are, that's what you believe in the most. This worked for me, I hope it helps you a little too.
Aimee - I love the building metaphor using trust as the foundation. I feel like the middle paragraph is a little bit less strong than the first and the last; maybe consider rephrasing "Students are encouraged to..." to "I encourage my students to..."? I might just be being nitpicky, so please forgive me if I am, but it just seems like the rest of your statement is so driven by you and your students, and that sentence is just more passive. Overall though, that driving force really asserts your investment in your classroom and in your students and it sounds passionate and powerful. It also seems concise without being overly brief, which is what this part is for, right?
Kate - I said this in seminar, too, but I LOVE that you teach HOPE. I think that the rest of your philosophy really backs that up in a strong way. Your closing line is GOLD. I think Aimee said what I would have suggested in a better way than I could have, so I’ll just echo her suggestion. It’s so well written and so you, it’s just that it’s also still maybe a little long.
Charlene – Sounds like you’ve settled on a fabulous nugget to structure your next draft around, I can’t wait to see it!
Becky – One of the things that stood out most to me is your creation of a “progressive academic setting.” Isn’t that what we all want to do? We’re going to revolutionize schools one English class at a time. I love that you include this. My only concern is that it feels a little academicky to me. I understand that we don’t want these to be the informal short spiel you give to someone on the bus making small talk, but I feel like some of the FSHED language is stifling the Becky. Your goals shine through wonderfully, but I feel like you’re somewhat obscured.
Kellen – Wow. You’ve done an amazing job of making every word here count. I want to pull out one piece that I love, but whichever line I choose feels like an unfair slight to the rest. The only query I can think to offer is just to consider the phrasing of “make students share.” I get what you’re saying here, and I don’t know that I disagree with the word choice since we’ve already spent a lot of time on not being wishy-washy, but I feel like it could be a little forceful.
Rich – You really make the I-statement mechanic work for you here. The repetition contributes to the flow of your thought, and it’s absolutely every bit you. My tiny suggestion for you is merely caution. “. . . stronger than any curriculum,” while an amazing statement that I TOTALLY agree with, might seem a little—I don’t know—confrontational? I know where you’re coming from, I’m sure we all do, but maybe to call it a great asset in any context (only much more gracefully than that, I’m sure). Again, I might be being a little nitpicky, I just thought I should share that reaction in case someone in a position to judge has a similar thought. I hope it wasn’t too muddled.
I ask my students to consider a very dangerous question in my classroom. “Why?” I live to challenge them to figure that out for themselves. Just as telling students information doesn’t teach them, telling them how English is relevant doesn’t make it relevant to them. My role is to ask the questions that lead them to draw their own conclusions.
When I ask them these questions, I want their answers. I don’t let my voice be the only one heard in the classroom. I believe that students need a safe space to try on new ideas, and I make my classroom one such space for them. I value their prior knowledge, their experiences, their thoughts, and their questions. They are not the only ones learning in my classroom. Each day I am learning things about them, and new ways to see something I have read, or even taught, many times before.
Sometimes it’s not what they know, but what they want to know, that can cause all of us, myself and my students, to reconsider something we are reading. Good teachers are prepared for class, but great ones are willing to uncover and incorporate new information into a lesson to satisfy a student’s curiosity. If students are showing interest in an aspect of a text other than my focus, I would be remiss not to indulge their curiosity. My class is their class, too, and I want them to feel a part of that ownership.
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I think this is the best fragment I’ve reconstructed from my original philosophy, but I feel like I backed myself into a corner and that it flatlines on the transition to the last paragraph. I, of course, will value ANY input from all of you, but ESPECIALLY that last paragraph because I feel like it is by far the weakest of the three.
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