My Philosophy of Teaching

I have been a teacher of high school students for three years. I am not teaching nowadays but I intend to carry on my teaching career whenever I have a chance to do so. I believe that teaching is the most fruitful job one can occupy. That is of course because teachers are the ones who build the nation, along with parents.

The effects a good teacher has on her students are life-long ones, and that is a belief I kept in my mind when teaching. Of course the degree of effect varies according to the students' age, but still, if the teacher decides to have an effect on her students, she will definitely be able to. As a teacher, I try always to have a positive effect on my students. I was determined to be a good model because, as usual, students tend to hear from those who do good.  I always kept in mind, that "Before teaching anyone else, I had to teach myself."  

Another significant point was being a good listener. If I want to know the problems facing my students and things they suffer from, I had to be a good listener. I practiced this characteristic continually. Especially when entering the class and finding my students unsettled and something seemed to bother them, I would give them five minutes to talk and complain about whatever was disturbing them. I find that technique to work a miracle. Even if I couldn’t do anything to solve their problem, at least I won their trust, which is important to me. That way I could start my lesson with clear minds. Moreover, and more important, when listening to them, I will be sure that they will listen to me when I give them a piece of advice every now and then. So the policy I followed with my students, concerning the relationship I shared with them, was being close to them, to the extent that they looked at me as their older sister.

I always maintained a respectful relationship with my students. I believe that if a teacher showed respect to her students, she would gain respect in return. I also kept in mind our religious background, and I try always to arise the students' awareness to their religion. Some units which are related to the students' real lives lead us to discussions about our religion and how we should be good representatives of our religion. That way, I tried to reinforce in my students the sense of being proud of their religion.

The first class of the year was dedicated to making clear the system which will be followed in classes and what I expect from my students. I think this class is critical, for once making everything clear to students, I would avoid a lot of inconveniences and problems. I would tell my students about rewards they would expect, in order to increase their motivation, and also punishments they might face if being rude or careless. I had a reward every month for the student who demonstrated any type of improvement. This student would be named as "the star of the class" and would win a certificate of appreciation. I also gave appreciation certificates for students who get the full marks on the exam. I also try to spot any improvement, whether ethical or educational, and announce such improvements. I also try to create some competition among the classes I teach, by awarding monthly "the star class". That way I tried to motivate my students in terms of improvement and success.

Concerning the techniques I follow in delivering my lessons, I try to be as creative as possible. I believe that students learn more if they are interested and also involved. I try to vary the teaching aids used in order to avoid boredom. I always prepare the unit beforehand and give myself enough time to look for innovative and creative materials.   I also try to vary the atmosphere because creating a change in the place would refresh students. Sometimes we would take the lesson in the school's garden and other times in the language laboratory. My students would always be excited when having the lesson in a different place, which was an aim I opted for.

Another variation is to have students be step-teachers. This also excited students very much and also creates a kind of competition among them. I also try to develop my students' critical thinking. I always ask the question "Why?" throughout my lessons in order to get them think critically. I see the effect of this technique on my students. They always look forward to the causes of things, and if I happened not to give them the reason of something or did not ask them about it, I find them asking me about it immediately.

Being a teacher of a foreign language, I always talk to my students in English. They usually find it difficult at the beginning and claim that they don't understand, but they get used to it over time. I believe that the level I maintain of the language should not be too high for my students, nor too low. If it were too high, my students would not be able to follow up, whereas if it were too low, this means that they would not have anything new to learn.

Throughout my career, I try to get into talks with professionals in the same field. I believe that such interactions help a lot in gaining new experiences, knowing about new techniques, etc. It also helps when having a problem to seek help from experienced teachers.

To conclude, I really love teaching because it is a job that has great outcomes if done properly. Students remember their teachers and the words of encouragement they told them over the years. I still receive messages from my students thanking me on things I have done to them, which makes me more eager to continue my teaching career.

Nasreen S. T.

                                                                                                   2006

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