Teaching Philosophy Statement

I see students as the next generations’ heroes in so many fields. In my vision, I have to inspire students and prepare them with confidence, knowledge, experience and skills. Which means I encourage, communicate, guide, teach, and assess students in order to enrich their infrastructures.

I believe that with motivation and guidance, children of all backgrounds can harbor success in the educational world and receive the skills they need to have a successful and prosperous life. It is a teacher’s duty to encourage lifelong learning, consider individual learning styles and aptitudes, and self-reflect on how to improve. My experiences as an engineer, a person of color, a pre-service teacher, and a STEM advocate have culminated together to form my educational values and philosophy.

Like many others from my graduating class, I left college and headed for the fast track world of law and finance. After two years crunching numbers, juggling real estate projects and emerging from Black Monday in October 1987 relatively unscathed, I realized I hated my job. Landing a teaching position at Fessenden School became a watershed event in my life. Looking back over the past years, I fully realize that teaching is an essential part of me. Michael Thompson, once said, "There are some teachers who are effective and know why, others who aren 't effective and don 't know why, and a third are effective, but aren 't quite sure why." After five years at Fessenden, I felt like the latter. Therefore, I decided to attend graduate school in order to become a more effective educator. Theory, practicum, and research aside, graduate school was an epiphany for me. It confirmed in me that leading a school was more than a choice; it was a calling.

“Teaching is not a profession; it’s a passion. Without passion for your subject and a desire for your students to learn and be the best in the world, then we have failed as a teacher and failure is not an option.” –John F. Podojil. In my opinion, this quotation is very true. If you do not have the passion to teach your students what is right in the world and what makes them be the best they can be, then you are not really teaching your students or you have failed and failure is not an option. I want to not only teach my students important subject manner but be an inspiration to my students as well. I want to be the teacher that students will come back to in ten or fifteen years and say,

Education is defined as the lifelong process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and values through either formal means, such as schooling, or informal means, such as firsthand experiences or vicarious experiences gained through reading books or discussions. Every person that is or wants to be a teacher has his or her own educational philosophy. We all have our own views, methods, and curriculum that we were taught when growing up. A lot of people may have the same teachers in school, but all of them learn different things from that teacher.

I use three beliefs as my foundation to guide and support my teaching philosophy. First, open, and effective communication between the teacher and student is necessary for successful learning. Second, learning is the result of addressing experiences between the teacher and the student in a small group setting. Third, teachers need to be experts in their field in order to close gaps when presented with inquiries by students. These beliefs are only effective when working together to create an environment conducive to maximizing learning.

I as a teachers am committed make my future classroom safe for all my students as well as engage my students through the curriculum as well as getting to know their likes and dislikes. I believe meeting the needs of my classroom, as well as the individual student by one on one interactions. Knowing I will have children with disabilities or language barriers, I will make it were students are comfortable with one another through interaction. Talking will be the highlight in the classroom, along with group work, authentic learning will be key to classroom success. My goal is to encourage all students to participate in class so everyone can learn from one another, and me the teacher as well. I know I have a very silly calmness personality in my

What was your motivation for becoming a teacher? What continues to motivate you now, to continue teaching?

My parents moved to the Philippines from Saipan due to some health and family issues. At the age of seven, I could say I had a simple life with my family. As I grew up, I saw lots of young students coming to class with an empty stomach, barefooted, and only has a piece of paper and a pencil to use in class. I also saw many teacher finding ways to educate their students even if they were lacking of books and teaching materials. Despite the circumstances that the students and teachers were encountering everyday, the smile and excitement they have in their faces makes my heart so full. The willingness of students to learn, as well the perseverance of teachers to teach gave my life an extra meaning. From that moment, I realized that I wanted to

I believe that education extends far beyond the classroom walls, and involves many more people than students and teachers. People should be learning wherever they go, and should continue learning long after they’ve graduated from high school or college. Education isn’t something that can be quantified with tests or report cards, but is instead something that people carry with them. It’s a survival pack for life, and some people are better equipped in certain areas than in others. People with a solid education are prepared for nearly anything, as they will be able to provide for their own physical, emotional, and aesthetic needs.

Teaching is about preparing an individual to survive in the world around them. In an educational institution, not only are you relaying information of a certain content area to a student as a teacher, but also you are showing this individual how to learn, listen, cooperate, and be responsible. Concepts that are foreign and unknown must be made familiar, from the ancient civilizations to working in groups with people unlike you. Preparing students with this kind of knowledge allows them to successfully undertake the demands of higher education or any career. Cooperation is especially essential to our ever-changing world where national and cultural boundaries are being

My objective as a teacher is to make a difference in the lives of the student I teach. Similarly, through teaching I will provide students with the necessary tools to become critical thinkers. As critical thinkers, my students will be able to make reasoned judgements that are logical and well thought out. My students will not just passively accept arguments and conclusions; my students will be equipped to question arguments and conclusions. Additionally, as a critical thinker, my students will be able to understand the logical connection between ideas. Also, through teaching I’m equipping my students with the tools that will lead to greater chances of

After reading Professor Varis teaching philosophy it is quite evident he takes great consideration for his students and their learning opportunities. As I reflect on and review my understanding and my learning philosophy I am given the chance to reflect on past classes and possibly what could have been different on my behalf and the professor’s behalf. Also at this time I relish the opportunity to contimplate what my values, principles, achievement skills and also my expectations for this class are.

Teaching is among the most intricate, eternal and beautiful professions and as a visionary and cultural leader I know that education transcends time and place, deriving much from both social, cultural context and individual style. I am committed to continuously improve my practices with the desire that my leading example instills in my students and colleagues the passion and enthusiasm for learning and teaching. I am a dedicated, resourceful educational professional who consistently take part in training opportunities designed to strength and improve educator’s pedagogical skills, monitor policies and practices that promote a safe learning environment.

My teaching philosophy is to create an environment that stimulates learning so that students gain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to become proficient professionals. While teaching foundational knowledge is important, there are other essential skills and abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully transition from being a student to becoming a physical therapy professional. These skills and abilities include thinking critically as well as interacting and communicating effectively with patients and other health care practitioners. I emphasize to students that it is imperative to realize the impact of developing a therapeutic rapport with patients while providing quality, patient-centered care to optimize the healing process. Therefore, when deciding what to teach, I not only consider the content presented, but also how I can foster discussions with students so that they can apply information based on varying contextual factors. I also attempt to provide students a framework for how to achieve professional excellence, which I aim to model as I fulfill my roles and responsibilities as a teacher and provider of clinical instruction. This framework is rooted in five central tenets: