My Educational Philosphy

Why did you choose this?

I chose this major because I had an interest in language and teaching or education had always been appealing to me. I felt like I was a theatrical person, but not so much that I wanted to perform, but that I wanted to use it to educate. Plus, because of the language barrier, a major in mostly English was appealing to me. But I had always had an affinity for language, what with speaking 3 for a majority of my life until that point. The point is, I didn’t really choose for deep reasons this other than that I liked education (but I only wanted to teach adults, that has since changed) and that I wasn’t confident in myself to study something in Spanish.

How did you come to that conclusion?

I always admired my teachers and the effort they put into what they taught, as well as the passion for their respective subjects. Their joy for teaching and passion for what they taught inspired me to try harder and enjoy what they were teaching. I learned to enjoy subjects that I had always disliked, and I started to enjoy being at school rather than just going because I had to.

Then, I realized I like tutoring and teaching. I didn’t do it very often, since most people needed to be tutored in math, but whenever I got the chance to help my friends understand something in social studies or English, it felt really good and really natural. I also got a very good piece of advice: if you want to understand something, think about teaching it to someone else. That advice made all of my presentations become way better, and I started to like being in front of the class explaining things. I started to slowly get over my anxiety about being in front of people

Finally, I moved to Mexico. It was a huge change in my life, and I had to learn to think differently about a lot of things. I actually didn’t truly appreciate it until I moved back to Canada for 3 months, and I begged to go back to Mexico. Then I had to consider a career choice, and I had already discarded art because I didn’t want to get broken by the system like my friends did, and I liked teaching. I had always enjoyed English class, and teaching English as a second language was pretty close to that, so it all came together.

How will/do you impact people in your work?

I want to inspire students the way my teachers inspired me. They created an environment where I was safe and happy, and I felt I was able to make mistakes without judgement. I know that school can be a place for students to get away from their home life and focus on something else, and I feel like the least I can do is try and inspire them to enjoy their time at school and spark that same passion for learning, so they can be motivated, not to just go through life, but to live it.

I also want to do research. I had always thought it was a bit stuffy, but recently I found that I really enjoy it, and I really want to make an impact. I want to help other teachers to help their students to learn better, or to understand how their students learn. I want my research to be a stepping-stone towards progress in education, which is a field that I believe is a foundation for many different careers and areas of study.

I want to make the world a better, kinder, and more inspired place. My optimism has always been seen a sort of childlike wonder that I was sure to lose once I got into the real world, and sure, I have changed my perspective on a few things. But I still believe that the world is good, and I want to improve it. I want to make the world a place full of wonder and a love for learning, and the place I can start is my classroom.

I want… (Expectations)

1. I want to help students feel at ease.
2. I want to teach and do research.
3. I want to make advances in Education as a field of study.
4. I want to research linguistics.
5. I want a fulfilling job that makes me go home satisfied with my work.
6. I want to be proud of the work I do.
7. I want to educate future teachers.
8. I want to advanced topics like literature,
9. I want to inspire students to enjoy learning.
10. I want to write a book.

I will… (Commitments)

1. I will create a comfortable environment in the classroom.
2. I will look for a job, possibly at a university, that allows for me to research and teach.
3. I will take risks and do things that may be out of my comfort zone.
4. I will look for a job that doesn’t feel like hard work.
5. I will put effort into my work, so I can be proud of it.
6. I will apply what I learn in my research into my everyday classroom.
7. I will stay up to date on new advances in education.
8. I will speak at conferences.
9. I will look for a publisher.
10. I will always look to improve my perspectives on education.