Teaching Philosophy Statement

Every student has an innate ability to use their voice as power. This is the core of my teaching

philosophy: words are power, and every individual possesses something important to say. Where a

teacher like me comes in is how to direct these abilities that students already possess and harness the

potential of speech to empower: themselves and the spaces that hold them.

As students come into my classroom, they’re already thinking and speaking. While they may not

recognize it, their voices are powerful and unique to only them. A large part of what makes words

strong are the outlets from which they came. As a teacher, it is my duty to create spaces and foster

connections with students that uplift and establish confidence in themselves and these identities.

When a student is not proud of who they are, it can be hard to raise their voice. At the most base level my job is to see these students and celebrate the intersecting factors that make them who they are and through this, model the kind of respect that they should give to themselves and to the people around them. I seek to employ a wider canon of literature and research that incorporates a more whole human experience that not only allows students to look through windows at other identities, but also into mirrors of the identities they possess. I hope to establish a love of reading through allowing students autonomy with their chosen literature, in sustained silent reading and with texts used in class, and ways to connect reading to all spheres of life—not just academic.

Through reading others’ words and the ways in which authors, artists, and academics express

themselves and what’s important to them, not only do students learn valuable content but they also see modeled different ways to communicate. This is critical as they learn to develop, organize, revise, and present their own writing or speech. By examining a variety of different writing modes and methods of speech, students become aware of how vast language is and how language is a tool not only to communicate, but to teach, to empower, to build or cast down, to even enact change. By offering students opportunities to write about what’s important to them and broadening writing instruction beyond the five-paragraph essay, I plan to ignite the intrinsic motivation that resides within everyone to express themselves. While this writing will be utilized in the academic realm as they complete assignments and work towards their goals, I hope to establish processes and routines that stay with students long after they’ve left my classroom and the world of education.

Being able to collect our thoughts and create dialogues is a skill that is critical for students as they

blossom in our classrooms and make their way into the world. Through thoughtful instruction in

literacy, my goal is to make it natural for my students to express themselves, become involved with

causes that are important to them and the communities that surround them, and use their voice as a

tool to not only better themselves but to lift those up around them. By making this a priority, I hope to instill the sentiment that words are power for my students so that they may even teach those around them that their words are powerful too. Knowledge is best shared, and as I endeavor to share with my students how using my words has saved my life I hope that they, too, try to save the lives of others by instilling that same belief and carrying on a legacy that brings us all closer together while establishing us as unique individuals with our own stories to tell.