The entire purpose of education is to provide students with tools to better understand the world they exist in.
As an English teacher, I would want to prioritize growth in critical thinking skills. I have always believed that English, as a subject, is not for teaching students about reading or grammar but for teaching students how to properly analyze media. Many people believe English isn’t a subject you will you after high school, but out of all the core subjects, it is the one that benefits you most day to day, whether you know it or not. Media literacy relates to how you react to books, film/television, political messaging, advertisements, et cetera. Every aspect of your day to day life depends on how you can understand the world around you.
As an educator, I want my future students to feel confident in their abilities to understand media their exposed to and effectively communicate said understanding. I believe allowing students to feel like they can safely express their ideas is important to education. I do believe there are no stupid questions and I wouldn’t want any of my students to feel overly criticized or even afraid to speak their mind. I would want my classroom to focus on open discussion (e.g. socratic seminars) with as little defined structure as possible. In my experience, this is what best facilitates learning, collaboration, and independence when it comes to the English subject.
As someone who grew up in a Montessori classroom, I believe fostering independence and collaboration is important for all educators. I believe my teaching methods will take heavy inspiration from my time in the Montessori education system as I know it greatly benefitted me and all my peers. The Montessori Method is highly adaptable and I think many High School teachers should attempt to mold it to their own classrooms, especially because older students would benefit even more from the independence it allows.
I also believe in flexibility. Any good educator should have the ability to change how they teach each student, as not all students learn the same. Every student is their own human being and at their age in High School, they will each require different treatment. I believe it is important to give this respect to each student because you will then receive respect in return. The most effective AND loved educators in my years of school were the ones who gave each student respect while using the respect returned to maintain authority instead of asking for respect while giving none in return.
Overall, I hope to foster an environment where students can feel confident and independent. I hope to help provide all my future students with the critical thinking skills to benefit them in all of their classes and even well into their adulthood.
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Gabriella Zejavac Education Portfolio 