My Philosophy of Teaching

“Not knowing when the dawn may come, I open every door”

- Emily Dickinson

As an undergraduate, I focused my academics toward writing forms that are often considered very un-literary. I wrote high fantasy and epic space operas, strange fantastical tales that in no way meshed with a degree that focused on changing the literary landscape. My thesis project is formally referred to as a “Non-linear Reader-Driven Narrative”, which is fancy talk for a Choose Your Own Adventure novel a la Goosebumps. The reason I was able to write these projects was because I found professors who believed in what I was writing. They saw past the dime store genres to find the true value in my writing and ideas. I may never change the literary landscape, but I have changed minds about how it looks.

I keep my experiences as a writer and as a student in mind as I begin my journey toward becoming a teacher. Every student is full of possibility. Ideas that they may feel are too silly or childish are diamonds in the rough that need polishing at worst. Lack of confidence is born through individuals and systems dismissing those ideas as unwanted or not good enough without offering suggestions how to improve. I want to inspire my students to feel empowered through writing and through creating the narratives they want to tell. Instead of shutting the door on their ideas, I want them to embrace them in all their potential.

However, I also want to teach my students to be critical. Allowing all ideas in also requires shifting through them to self-reflect on our thoughts and opinions. What weight comes with writing a character from a different culture than you? Are you creating this character based on stereotypes? Is this narrative a harmful one? Thoughtful analysis of writing and the effects of written work on the world is a part of becoming not just a strong writer but also a self-aware citizen of our society.

I am determined to create a classroom of confidence and creation. I hope to be a source of support for my students as they develop their own voices within my classroom. I hope to challenge them to constantly grow and self-assess and grow more. I hope they leave my classroom with tangible proof of their thoughts and opinions and development, whether that is an essay or narrative they are proud of constructing. Confidence and creation are central to my pedagogy, and I feel expecting anything less would be doing a disservice to my students.