Teaching is All About Relationships
I have long held a firm belief about life that guides and forms much of who I am as a person: life is all about relationships. Almost everything I do in life (for better or for worse) is motivated by some sort of relationship I have with another human being. It only makes sense then that this belief extends itself to my classroom, and if I had to sum up my teaching philosophy in one sentence, it would follow suit: teaching is all about relationships.
In a world where teachers, administrators, and students are constantly being held accountable for what happens inside the school doors, stress runs abound. As a classroom teacher, I know that it is important for my students to learn the curriculum. I also know that it’s important for my students to leave my classroom at the end of the year as better people than they were when they came in. In order to make sure my students learn, it’s obviously important to understand educational theory, philosophy, and pedagogy, but anyone can learn and study facts and figures. Being a successful teacher goes beyond pedagogical and content knowledge. I firmly believe that the mark of any outstanding educator begins with the relationships he/she forms with students.
I firmly believe that the only way to effectively teach students what they need to know and make them better people is to get to know them as human beings. For example, if I get to know my students, I will find out that student A is an auditory learner, while student B is a kinesthetic learner. With this information, I can tailor my lessons to help both of them learn the material and succeed in class. I can also learn from talking to student B that he uses is kinesthetic talents to excel on the soccer field; and I can congratulate him when he has a fantastic soccer game. I can also learn that student C was up all night taking care of her older sister’s infant, and that maybe I should give student C the benefit of the doubt today. I can only learn this, though, if I create a safe and welcoming learning environment where students feel like they can come to me with information like this. Countless times, I have seen students learn best from the teachers they love and respect the most; not necessarily the teacher who has studied the most educational philosophy.
I also teach a very wide range of levels and abilities; I believe that it is important to make each student feel like an equal part of the learning environment in my classroom. Whether their plan is to attend an Ivy League school or to enter the workforce right after graduation, it is my job to prepare them for that next step. By getting to know my students, I can tailor my instruction toward helping them meet their eventual goals.
So every morning when I step into my classroom, of course I have my lessons prepared and I make sure I am ready to go for the day, but that is honestly not the main thing on my mind. Every morning, I am thinking about my students as people; about who they are, where they’re going, what I can do to help them today, and how I can make their lives better. At the end of the year, I hope that I have made an impact and that my students are better readers, writers, and thinkers. Even more than that though, I hope my students are better people, and I look forward to continuing the relationships I’ve built with them so I can see all of the great things they go on to do in life.