Mendel’s Teaching Philosophy
As a high school history teacher, I have a pretty difficult job. For starters, by the time students make it to my class; they usually already have decided what their attitude towards school is. Students have either decided they enjoy learning, or they have decided they don’t care about it. It is my job to cater to both attitudes. Part of my job includes both feeding information to knowledge hungry students who yearn to learn as much as they can, and to convince students who are not as excited to be in class that learning not only can be interesting, but fun. History as a subject is another animal in itself. Before high school, students are not typically held accountable for their history classes, because they do not need them to graduate from middle school. This changes in high school, meaning that they suddenly need to care about their history classes. Part of my job, as an educator, a high school history teacher, is to ensure that my students are engaged in learning from the time they walk into my classroom, until the time that I dismiss them from class for the day. Making sure they are engaged means they are not only interested in the content, but that they are also learning from it.
Why do I even want to teach at the high school level? Or even history for that matter? Well, the answer if pretty simple. We have a problem in this country of too many students who feel insecure about their capabilities as a student, and as a contributing individual in our society. As a teacher, it is my sincere goal to reach every single student that walks through my room in a positive way, and help lead them on a productive road towards their future. At the high school level, the students are at the age where they will start seeing themselves as contributors to society, and understand that they have a role to play. That idea can be terrifying for a student at that age, and knowing that I can make a difference to help steer them in a progressive and productive direction is why I chose to teach this age group. As for history as a subject, history is the story of how the world came to be as it is now. It is a continuous story of the planet, our triumphs and failures as a species. Just as it is important for individuals to reflect on their own lives, their own practices, it is detrimental for humans to reflect on our history. Not all teenagers understand the importance of learning history. Therefore, it is my job to not only teach my students, but to intrigue them.
As a newer educator, I can offer a well-balanced classroom that portrays high expectations of students and a positive learning environment. Problems we face in the education world are classrooms that are not balanced. It is not enough for a teacher to be an expert in their content without worrying about the individual needs and well being of each student in their classroom. It is not enough for a teacher to cater to every personal whim of the students in regards to their accommodation, but not show complete mastery of their content. Having a balance of passion for both content and students is key for a successful classroom, and is what I can offer students, parents, and colleagues in regards to my teaching. I will be engaging my students in the content by understanding how their own interests connect to the content, and making sure that each student finds some sort of interest in the subject that we are discussing at the time. It is my duty as an educator to ensure this is the sort of positive energy my classroom atmosphere consists of.
As a high school history teacher, I have a pretty difficult job. For starters, by the time students make it to my class; they usually already have decided what their attitude towards school is. Students have either decided they enjoy learning, or they have decided they don’t care about it. It is my job to cater to both attitudes. Part of my job includes both feeding information to knowledge hungry students who yearn to learn as much as they can, and to convince students who are not as excited to be in class that learning not only can be interesting, but fun. History as a subject is another animal in itself. Before high school, students are not typically held accountable for their history classes, because they do not need them to graduate from middle school. This changes in high school, meaning that they suddenly need to care about their history classes. Part of my job, as an educator, a high school history teacher, is to ensure that my students are engaged in learning from the time they walk into my classroom, until the time that I dismiss them from class for the day. Making sure they are engaged means they are not only interested in the content, but that they are also learning from it.
Why do I even want to teach at the high school level? Or even history for that matter? Well, the answer if pretty simple. We have a problem in this country of too many students who feel insecure about their capabilities as a student, and as a contributing individual in our society. As a teacher, it is my sincere goal to reach every single student that walks through my room in a positive way, and help lead them on a productive road towards their future. At the high school level, the students are at the age where they will start seeing themselves as contributors to society, and understand that they have a role to play. That idea can be terrifying for a student at that age, and knowing that I can make a difference to help steer them in a progressive and productive direction is why I chose to teach this age group. As for history as a subject, history is the story of how the world came to be as it is now. It is a continuous story of the planet, our triumphs and failures as a species. Just as it is important for individuals to reflect on their own lives, their own practices, it is detrimental for humans to reflect on our history. Not all teenagers understand the importance of learning history. Therefore, it is my job to not only teach my students, but to intrigue them.
As a newer educator, I can offer a well-balanced classroom that portrays high expectations of students and a positive learning environment. Problems we face in the education world are classrooms that are not balanced. It is not enough for a teacher to be an expert in their content without worrying about the individual needs and well being of each student in their classroom. It is not enough for a teacher to cater to every personal whim of the students in regards to their accommodation, but not show complete mastery of their content. Having a balance of passion for both content and students is key for a successful classroom, and is what I can offer students, parents, and colleagues in regards to my teaching. I will be engaging my students in the content by understanding how their own interests connect to the content, and making sure that each student finds some sort of interest in the subject that we are discussing at the time. It is my duty as an educator to ensure this is the sort of positive energy my classroom atmosphere consists of.