A teacher is defined as one who imparts knowledge, gives instruction, and assists in developing skills.  It is my belief that every individual can learn if given the proper attention and opportunity.  Everyone is unique and has his/her own way of learning.  As an aspiring educator, I feel that it is my duty to provide an opportunity to ensure that anyone seeking an education is informed and challenged to do their best.  I believe educators have to push students beyond their own expectations.  There are several instances where some students think they do not want to learn or they think they cannot learn.  It is the educator’s responsibility to instill hope and belief in his or her students.  Students should be taught to never give up and to believe they can achieve anything they put their minds to.  It is my belief that all students have the desire to learn, but they must have someone who is willing to do what it takes to reach and motivate them.  Teaching provides an opportunity for continuous learning and growth and my hopes are that my students will gain an intrinsic love for learning and build relationships that will enable them to lead productive lives in the advancing, technological society that we live in today.

My philosophy aims to integrate hands on experience and real life situations in the classroom and research environment.  In today’s society, they seem to go hand in hand.  All skill sets and knowledge are needed to combat the health issues and diseases that plague our society.  Hands on experience, group collaboration, and inspiring and rewarding creativity are fundamental in developing and equipping the next generation to be successful.  I believe that direct implementation of a concept, collaborative assignments, and motivation are the best ways to effectively help the students learn as well as providing and improving networking and communication skills.  Motivation is always a plus because everyone needs reassurance that they are on the right track and encouragement to continue to strive to reach their full potential.  My goal is to have students leave the classroom with a sense of accomplishment and with the desire to learn more, something I think is necessary to be good at whatever profession they desire.

I plan to encourage student involvement where I will urge my students to think about very basic questions they may have and to articulate questions about the information presented in the lecture or textbook in order to provide an interactive, intellectually stimulating classroom environment.  As an individual’s interests are fostered, their intrinsic motivation is stimulated and the passion to learn evolves. This happens by allowing the students to have some type of input on how they learn. Given the opportunity for input, students are able to produce ideas and set new learning goals that allow for richer activities. When students feel like they have a part in the decisions, they are motivated to work harder to reach their goals.  I believe that you must build upon students’ previous educational background and mature that information to a higher level of thinking. It is vital that students are taught to make a connection between what they have already learned and new information.  This has been done in courses that I have taught and observed via short quizzes before and after classes covering material from the previous class as well as material taught during that particular class period.

I view myself as a modern day John Dewey.  He believed that education should integrate learning with experience and he also encouraged curiosity.  I am a firm believer that students learn best when they experience it and when they are allowed to be curious and ask questions.  When I introduce a lesson to my students I always try to relate it to something they are familiar with and have experience with.  When that happens it allows the students to see how the lesson can relate to their everyday life.  This gives students as opportunity to inquire and discover.  I teach my students to ask open-ended challenging questions.  I also allow my students to have debates in class.  It is proven that students learn best from each other and student-centered activities. Group discussions, group quizzes, group activities and, especially, out of class individual assignments compel students to evaluate material thoroughly and on a personal level.  Meeting students and people at their needs, in general, is very important and I desire to provide opportunities for learning in ways that they will most likely benefit from.  Cooperative learning and technology are two of my favorite strategies.  Cooperative learning allows the students to work in small groups towards one goal and technology is right at our fingertips, ranging from iPads to smart TV’s and other devices that can make learning more interactive and interesting.

The personal journey that I have taken to teach has extended beyond the classroom, into areas that I never imagined.  I have had several teaching opportunities in the classroom and in the laboratory setting which have been incredibly insightful and informative. My roles as a graduate student, teaching assistant, and peer mentor have brought teaching to the forefront of my career. Courses that I have taught include General Biology Labs for majors and non-majors and I also tutored in a math center.  These teaching opportunities allowed me to realize that teachers put in far more time and energy than students can ever imagine.  Due to my age at the time that I was teaching and tutoring, I had to be very stern and present my objectives and expectations to the classes early on because initially their main concern was my age and how I was teaching their class.  After a few classes, my students and I were on the same page and we managed to have a very productive semester in which they were able to facilitate some of the lab assignments.

The same qualities, which were meaningful to me as a student will also be reflected in making my classroom an individualized learning center.  The classroom should be a place where a student can struggle, fail, and figure things out and ultimately excel.  It is the place where I started as a student and I am forever grateful and appreciative for all of the teachers and professors that I encountered along my journey.  I have found something meaningful, a niche that has taught me something about biology, science, and being successful.