Teaching Philosophy

As an educator, I chose this career to share my passions with others, see children succeed, move the field forward, and provide a good example by setting high expectations for myself and my students. I believe that being a positive force in a student’s life is just as important as pushing them to achieve their goals in the classroom. By showing compassion, care, and understanding, I can teach them that I am confident in their work as students and people. Teachers should inherently give students the tools to become well-rounded, critical thinkers in whatever field they chose to pursue, just by providing presence of mind and affirmation that they are on the right path. I seek to help students grow through kindness and develop trusting relationships that will foster healthy environments for us to thrive.  

            There are key aspects that anchor my compassion in academic work and growth. I understand that the act of teaching, just like the student’s act of learning, is an ever-changing process. There is a give-and-take dynamic between me and the students that should remain flexible depending on their specific needs. Knowing this, I recognize that my subject expertise is different than being an expert teacher and the later comes with time. Next, my teaching needs to reflect the context of the 21st century. Students will learn to be creative, innovative, globally literate, communicative, and interpersonal beings through the meaningful use of technology in my classroom, as well as helping students with varying needs through these avenues. My student-centric approach is carefully planned, even if I need to adjust often based on the individual students. Finally, cultivating a collaborative culture between students, administration, and other teachers is crucial to the improvement of my teaching skills and the students’ ability to succeed. I step into my leadership roles with vigor and take initiative to pave the way for this collaboration. Keeping these understandings in mind is my key to providing a positive work environment for my students and colleagues.

            Within a dance education classroom, it is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure students feel safe taking risks. Dance is a learned and honed skill, but is inherently within all children; initially, these skills may be beyond the student’s level of comfort. I strive to make my students feel safe within their culturally diverse backgrounds, physical bodies, intellectual stance, technical range, and creative mind to produce purposeful work and grow as dancers. I am the facilitator of this safety and by affirming students in their identities and abilities, we can help each other grow out of our shells and into new ones. The affirmation comes from the culturally relevant content in my class, students’ opinions and experiences being incorporated, and my expression of a certain level of vulnerability. I understand that each student has different needs based on their own experiences, ideas, traumas, etc. and I work hard to not only see my students but grasp their sometimes unspoken words and use them to push them forward as people and as dancers. Dance can be used as a tool to teach life skills and rebuild trust and strength, while meeting artistic goals that help all students become the best versions of themselves.