Teaching Philosophy
Here are my core convictions that I often share with my students.
Each student has the potential to be successful. Each student has the ability to influence their future.
I believe in collaboration. No one is smarter than everyone. I believe in collaboration both in my classroom and in my school.
I believe in work. I believe in study. I believe in the constant application of our knowledge base. I believe students should be at the center of the learning experience. This often manifests itself in my lesson plans as I make attempts to engage the students based on their expressed interests.
I believe an engaged mind is a healthy mind. I believe education reduces violence in our communities and in our world.
I believe reading is the key to education, success and happiness. I believe literacy is the greatest tool at the disposal of both the student and the educator.
I believe the culture of the host country should be on an equal footing with the culture of the school's country. I believe in a true world view, one that does not depend on my being from one country or another, but one that depends on my understanding that everyone of the earth is of the earth.
I do not believe in English Only rules in a classroom and I will not enforce such a rule. I do believe in English Mostly rules, especially if we are an ESL class. I only mean to say that I could never ask a student to stop speaking their native language.
I do not believe we need to be overly focused on rules. I do not believe it is the job of the student to sit calmly and be quiet all day. I do not believe a good class is necessarily a quiet class.
I believe students should be given time to be their age. That is, as Rousseau often reminds us, children need time to be children.
I want my classrooms to be energetic, awake and alive. I want my students to feel welcome, to look forward to their time in our classroom, and to feel free to express their thoughts and ideas.
As I am perhaps best described as a practical dreamer, I want my students to both dream and think critically of their hopes and ambitions. By this I mean helping a student assess and review an actual path toward their dream, whether it is a career, a place, or an idea.
Here are my core convictions that I often share with my students.
Each student has the potential to be successful. Each student has the ability to influence their future.
I believe in collaboration. No one is smarter than everyone. I believe in collaboration both in my classroom and in my school.
I believe in work. I believe in study. I believe in the constant application of our knowledge base. I believe students should be at the center of the learning experience. This often manifests itself in my lesson plans as I make attempts to engage the students based on their expressed interests.
I believe an engaged mind is a healthy mind. I believe education reduces violence in our communities and in our world.
I believe reading is the key to education, success and happiness. I believe literacy is the greatest tool at the disposal of both the student and the educator.
I believe the culture of the host country should be on an equal footing with the culture of the school's country. I believe in a true world view, one that does not depend on my being from one country or another, but one that depends on my understanding that everyone of the earth is of the earth.
I do not believe in English Only rules in a classroom and I will not enforce such a rule. I do believe in English Mostly rules, especially if we are an ESL class. I only mean to say that I could never ask a student to stop speaking their native language.
I do not believe we need to be overly focused on rules. I do not believe it is the job of the student to sit calmly and be quiet all day. I do not believe a good class is necessarily a quiet class.
I believe students should be given time to be their age. That is, as Rousseau often reminds us, children need time to be children.
I want my classrooms to be energetic, awake and alive. I want my students to feel welcome, to look forward to their time in our classroom, and to feel free to express their thoughts and ideas.
As I am perhaps best described as a practical dreamer, I want my students to both dream and think critically of their hopes and ambitions. By this I mean helping a student assess and review an actual path toward their dream, whether it is a career, a place, or an idea.
International Baccalaureate
I love the IB. I have enjoyed getting to know the IB approach to teaching and learning since 2016. I find IB Diploma students to be particularly inspiring as an educator. Diploma students are often highly driven, highly motivated and highly engaged learners. What I love most about the IB is the focus on community involvement.
Another aspect I admire about the IB is the rigor. The IB Business & Management course is essentially a mini graduate program. I found the resemblance to my own MBA program to be uncanny, so much so that I started borrowing material from my graduate level classes. This idea developed into a summer reading program and I included one of the books from my time as an MBA student. Lastly, my appreciation for the IB has grown as I witnessed firsthand what the IB learner profile means to the students. They are truly internationally minded young people who are well equipped for the next stage in their lives. I would welcome the opportunity to teach TOK, English Language and Literature and possibly Economics at the IB level. |
U.S. Common Core State Standards |
The US Common Core standard has generated a useful conversation about education in the United States. While I do consider both sides of the argument, I don't find myself worried about the efficacy of Common Core Standards. I think politics played a larger role in the conversation than the actual content of the core.
With this in mind, I will admit I find the common core a comforting, non-invasive guide toward teaching. I can see value in the core for both beginning and seasoned educators. The goal of the core is to bring some form of standardization to an otherwise ambiguous area of an intensely important profession. While we can't rely on government bureaucrats to tell us what or how to teach, we simply cannot allow any person off the street to make it up as they go along either. Hopefully, we will end up somewhere in the middle. |
Resources
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My teacher training focused on the US Common Core. I have found it to be a useful tool. I have been able to combine it successful with the IB world view. Each approach is rigorous. I do find the IB lends itself more to creativity. South Dakota Department of Education South Dakota Content Standards (also known as Common Core) English Language Arts Standards Business, Management and Administration Standards Personal Finance Standards Council for Economics Education |
The English Program in Korea, or EPIK, provided a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about teaching and to experience life as a teacher. I was so happy to learn from EPIK and my co-teachers about how to become an effective educator.
The EPIK philosophy, as manifested in my two schools and multiple English Camps, was to provide a firm foundation of expectations and support while gradually freeing the Guest English Teacher (me) to handle class as desired. EPIK provided an excellent orientation as well as monthly trainings or meetings. EPIK also provided extensive teacher training through an online format. We completed two of these sessions, each being upwards of 20 hours. The EPIK model depended on adaptability and collaboration. Life as a foreign teacher in a public school of South Korea required a great deal of both! What I learned from my experience with EPIK is how to be an effective collaborator as well as an adaptable international citizen. We learned how to live in a foreign country. We learned how to work for a government foreign to us. My co-teachers and schools were present and supportive but highly respectful of mine and my wife's private nature. We were on our own as much as we wanted. At the same time, we became valued members of our two schools and communities. I learned from EPIK that teaching in an international setting is the best possible career choice for me in the world. My time in Korea was among the best years of my life. I have done a great deal to make my dream of living overseas a reality once again. I have done and will do whatever it takes to succeed. This I learned from the "bali bali" culture I so loved and enjoyed in South Korea. |
SSR
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Sustained Silent Reading seems to be a polarizing topic. I believe in SSR. I think it is important to employ SSR in the schools that need it most. For example, SSR may not be needed in schools with proven high academic results. Highly motivated students tend to read more and with less encouragement. However, I do believe time must be set aside for SSR in schools with students who will not otherwise have an opportunity to read. Sustained Silent Reading seems to be a leap of faith. Educators either believe it or not. And, once one has adopted a certain belief it is best not to be too derisive about it.
If I believe my students would benefit from SSR, I would run the idea by my department head or principal. We would then determine if SSR is an appropriate fit for our students. |
SIOP |
I do have training in Sheltered Integrated Observational Protocol. As I describe my feelings toward SIOP, please keep in mind I was an MBA before I was an M.Ed. At its best, SIOP allows subject teachers otherwise unfamiliar with ESL or EFL a mechanism to ensure their language learning students perform to the best of their ability within the new language of the the new classroom. If we keep the student in mind, SIOP is harmless and perhaps beneficial.
At its worst, SIOP provides an administrator a 32 point checklist of job performance with which to review every lesson (over management). I would have no problem embracing SIOP if it is administered with the right touch. This would entirely depend on the leadership of the school. Unnecessary proceduralization has an adverse impact on organizational dynamics. That is to say, too many rules hurts the way in which people and departments at work interact with each other. I could write for a long time on the implications of policy and procedure on the spirit of creativity. If your school is going to embrace SIOP, remember, the sword is sharp and should not be handled carelessly. |