My teaching philosophy is first and foremost student-centered. There needs to be a keen awareness that the student body is growingly diverse and every course will have unique students which will bring different experiences. This awareness is to ensure that as a teacher I remain conscientious of the needs of every student and remain as adaptable as possible to consistently work to keep my courses relevant and meaningful to an array of students from different backgrounds, whether it be race, religion, sex, gender, or if they are a special needs student. Every student deserves consideration and respect in the classroom; I work to accomplish this goal through how I correspond with students and openly advocate the student voice in the classroom both in-person and online, down to the readings chosen for the class and how assignments are created.

            And with a student-centered focus, one aim is to be relevant to students. Times are constantly changing; this means that while writing is as relevant as it has always been, its mediums are always evolving–specifically in regards to multimodality. This brings on a new set of challenges in the English classroom, especially one which is writing-centered, as students may have a tendency to believe that writing done in college is not applicable to situations outside academia or the working world. However, I meet such challenges by consistently researching and evolving ways in which I can show that collegiate writing is applicable to all areas of life, such as by promoting multimodality and working in multiple literacies. Academic writing is not simply formulaic and restrictive; it can be creative and highlight one’s personality while still promoting the common goals of writing.

            As I continue learn and grow, I want my students to just as much. By expanding my own knowledge with further research as well as skills to be developed through teaching courses, I aim to better myself in my ultimate goal of helping the students develop and strengthen their written voice. While my teaching style is ever-evolving as I learn and grow, I have the heart and dedication that has not, and will not, diminish anytime soon. And as I value the student voice and experience, my own experience mixed with observations and first-hand feedback from future students will be crucial to how I adapt my teaching to best suit the needs of the students, which as I mentioned above, I believe is closely linked to relatability in addition to an understanding of where the student comes from.

            My goal is for students to see how courses apply to their lives, both through representation in the classroom as well as by exemplifying how the concepts explored in the course can be applied to other areas of their lives. I aim to guide students to engage in higher levels of critical thinking and exemplify more engagement with highly-reputable standards in English Academic Studies, such as the Habits of Mind and the WPA Outcomes outlined by the Council of Writing Program Administrators. Through these standards, I am able to emphasize the importance of learning about writing for different audiences and situations, as well as developing one’s own unique writing style which can still successfully communicate the main goal to the target audience, rather than focusing solely on writing styles, diction, and grammar. Though while I do believe it is fine to make light commentary on writing, it is an important goal of mine to keep authorship with the student, especially as grammatical mistakes tend to get sorted out as students have more exposure to writing and move through academia naturally.

            For now, I aim to continue remaining focused on broadening my experience and effectiveness as an educator so that I can enhance the student experience and education. I have a positive attitude and the dedication to be the kind of instructor students deserve.