Welcome!
Welcome to the Lim Library! Here I will be posting artifacts, lesson plans, the lessons I have learned and an overall documentation of my journey as an educator. To start things off, I would like to share with you a reflection on my start as an educator.
Understanding who you are as a person, recognizing how your experiences have shaped you, and understanding the philosophies of teaching are key ways to improve your effectiveness as an educator. This is because knowing what inspires us will help us to inspire others and helps us to keep focused and professional even during the hardest of days.
Looking back on the teachers who inspired me, one teacher who stands out was my eleventh grade English teacher, Mark Mueller. At the beginning of the year I hated his class. I wasn’t alone. I even had a few friends drop from accelerated English to normal English just to get away from him. He was overly strict, his grading policy was a bit too exacting, his lessons were uninspired, and he got upset way too quickly. In short, his class was the one I dreaded most each and every day.
But something changed one day, Mr. Mueller suddenly turned completely around. On this day, he started his lesson by pulling out a book and asked us all to gather around “Uncle Mark”. It was strange at first. He read to us. He even made silly voices. He was reading to a group of high school students like we were in elementary school, but it was strangely charming. He then led an analytical discussion about the book and segued into the next book we would read. After that day he treated us like young adults. He asked us for our thoughts, he challenged us to expand our thinking, and showed us who he was, while inviting us to show him who we were.
It was teachers like Mr. Mueller who inspired me. These teachers are the ones that took the time to get to know and connect with their students. They showed us that we had value and lifted us up. That is the kind of teacher I aspire to be.
But knowing who my teacher role models are isn’t enough to lead me down the road I am about to walk. I need to know who I am. By taking the “What is Your Philosophy of Education” Survey, I learned that my philosophy is progressivism and perennialism. Progressivism means that I am focused on student participation and experimentation rather than on the lecture (Sadker, 1997). This makes sense given my experiences with Mr. Mueller. I resented him when he lectured at us, but when he began discussions and analysis of materiel I excelled.
Perennialsm focuses on the great thinkers. The aim is cultural literacy so that students have an understanding of the thoughts and philosophies that have lasted generations (Sadker, 1997). This also makes sense because I have always believed in giving students a basic knowledge that they can use to grow into thought and discussion. For example, I once showed my students a documentary “The Story of Maths” to show them where many of the concepts they are studying stem from and how the original thinkers arrived at their conclusions.
In many ways, my philosophy of teaching aligns with Eric Moore (2015). I believe a teacher needs to be flexible. They need to guide learning, be an instructor of skill, but also be a counselor and mentor. They must also be authentic and lead the learning environment (Moore 2015). It is not enough just to lead a discussion, or to inspire your students. You, ultimately, are the adult. As an educator I am responsible for determining what will be taught, planning a lesson to guide the students in the right direction, and producing an environment that feels safe enough for discovery.
To accomplish this I must also follow a code of ethics (Association of American Educators 2018). I must always act with the students best interest at heart, keep confidential information safe, be an active, positive member of the community, and to obey the law. If an educator cannot behave ethically, then an environment conducive to learning cannot be achieved.
Ultimately, I want to be a teacher to improve the lives of my students. I want to inspire them and challenge them to reach new horizons. In order to accomplish this I must always act with integrity. I have to know who I am and where I came from. I have to learn the teaching techniques that coincide with my personal philosophy of education. I have taken the first steps down this road, and I can’t wait to see where it will take me, and in turn, where I will take my students.
Philosophy of Education Survey: Sadker, M.P. & Sadker, D. S. (1997). Teachers, schools and society (4th ed., pp. 403-405.) NY: McGraw Hill.
Code of Ethics:Association of American Educators. (2018). Code of Ethics for Educators. Retrieved from https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics .
My Educational PhilosophyMore, E.T. (2015, August 7). My Educational Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/my-educational-philosophy/ .
Learner Autobiography and Philosophy of Teaching
Understanding who you are as a person, recognizing how your experiences have shaped you, and understanding the philosophies of teaching are key ways to improve your effectiveness as an educator. This is because knowing what inspires us will help us to inspire others and helps us to keep focused and professional even during the hardest of days.
Looking back on the teachers who inspired me, one teacher who stands out was my eleventh grade English teacher, Mark Mueller. At the beginning of the year I hated his class. I wasn’t alone. I even had a few friends drop from accelerated English to normal English just to get away from him. He was overly strict, his grading policy was a bit too exacting, his lessons were uninspired, and he got upset way too quickly. In short, his class was the one I dreaded most each and every day.
But something changed one day, Mr. Mueller suddenly turned completely around. On this day, he started his lesson by pulling out a book and asked us all to gather around “Uncle Mark”. It was strange at first. He read to us. He even made silly voices. He was reading to a group of high school students like we were in elementary school, but it was strangely charming. He then led an analytical discussion about the book and segued into the next book we would read. After that day he treated us like young adults. He asked us for our thoughts, he challenged us to expand our thinking, and showed us who he was, while inviting us to show him who we were.
It was teachers like Mr. Mueller who inspired me. These teachers are the ones that took the time to get to know and connect with their students. They showed us that we had value and lifted us up. That is the kind of teacher I aspire to be.
But knowing who my teacher role models are isn’t enough to lead me down the road I am about to walk. I need to know who I am. By taking the “What is Your Philosophy of Education” Survey, I learned that my philosophy is progressivism and perennialism. Progressivism means that I am focused on student participation and experimentation rather than on the lecture (Sadker, 1997). This makes sense given my experiences with Mr. Mueller. I resented him when he lectured at us, but when he began discussions and analysis of materiel I excelled.
Perennialsm focuses on the great thinkers. The aim is cultural literacy so that students have an understanding of the thoughts and philosophies that have lasted generations (Sadker, 1997). This also makes sense because I have always believed in giving students a basic knowledge that they can use to grow into thought and discussion. For example, I once showed my students a documentary “The Story of Maths” to show them where many of the concepts they are studying stem from and how the original thinkers arrived at their conclusions.
In many ways, my philosophy of teaching aligns with Eric Moore (2015). I believe a teacher needs to be flexible. They need to guide learning, be an instructor of skill, but also be a counselor and mentor. They must also be authentic and lead the learning environment (Moore 2015). It is not enough just to lead a discussion, or to inspire your students. You, ultimately, are the adult. As an educator I am responsible for determining what will be taught, planning a lesson to guide the students in the right direction, and producing an environment that feels safe enough for discovery.
To accomplish this I must also follow a code of ethics (Association of American Educators 2018). I must always act with the students best interest at heart, keep confidential information safe, be an active, positive member of the community, and to obey the law. If an educator cannot behave ethically, then an environment conducive to learning cannot be achieved.
Ultimately, I want to be a teacher to improve the lives of my students. I want to inspire them and challenge them to reach new horizons. In order to accomplish this I must always act with integrity. I have to know who I am and where I came from. I have to learn the teaching techniques that coincide with my personal philosophy of education. I have taken the first steps down this road, and I can’t wait to see where it will take me, and in turn, where I will take my students.
References
Philosophy of Education Survey: Sadker, M.P. & Sadker, D. S. (1997). Teachers, schools and society (4th ed., pp. 403-405.) NY: McGraw Hill.
Code of Ethics:Association of American Educators. (2018). Code of Ethics for Educators. Retrieved from https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics .
My Educational PhilosophyMore, E.T. (2015, August 7). My Educational Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/my-educational-philosophy/ .
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