Philosophy
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Personal Philosophy of Teaching
Erica Graham
Personal Experience Teaching Environment Philosophy
Elementary teacher would release anger in obvious ways, would frighten children Threatening environment, didn't control anger in front of students I believe that teachers should act professionally in all situations when students are present
Senior years teacher would cover material that all of the students already knew, and had known, and understood for years When I take over a class, I will make sure to teach useful material instead of material that has already been covered in depth I believe that students have the right to learn useful, new material
Private lessons my teacher was always very encouraging and helped me to become a confident player Encouraging and non-threatening environment that provides a safe learning environment where students can feel confident I believe that teachers should encourage their students during lessons, in order to help them believe in themselves
Private lessons one teacher that I had was very condescending and pessimistic, and eventually made me hate playing my instrument This environment was very threatening, and I never felt that I was doing anything right, eventually I changed majors to escape these destructive lessons I believe that teachers should help their students to be confident, even when they do things wrong, teachers should also focus on the positive aspects
Elementary a teacher showed us new rhythms, helped us clap them, and showed us numerous percussion instruments This teacher sparked my interest in music at a very early age. She showed us how interesting and fun music could be I believe that teachers have the power to create a love for music in their students from a very early age
Senior years all of the students in our class had to take turns, for one week, conducting the class with guidance from the teacher All of the students were shown how to conduct properly, and were encouraged to get up in front of the class and prepare a piece I believe that showing students all aspects of music is very important. Students should see all sides of music, it isn't just blowing into an instrument
Senior years our senior music class would go to play at the senior citizens' home in our town at Christmas and in the spring We were able to see how much joy our music could bring to people in the community, we ended up having as much fun as they did I believe that students should see how much joy music can bring people from all walks of life. They should see how sharing their gifts can make people happy
Personal Experience Teaching Environment Philosophy
Co-operative Education I helped to teach a grade 9 music class when I was in grade 12 and 13 (I'm from Ontario) I was able to help students and I was responsible for tutoring some of the flute and sax players. Knowing that I helped them so much made me feel very proud I believe that all music students should have an opportunity to help other students. You can learn so much by tutoring, you will both benefit from it
After completing my personal philosophy of teaching, I have determined that my philosophy is largely based on an encouraging, comfortable teaching environment. I am a firm believer that all students can be great at music, if they possess the will to learn, and if they are provided with a nurturing, non-threatening learning environment. I have had a few bad experiences with private teachers throughout my musical career thus far, and those experiences have helped me to decide how I would like to teach once I am finished university. The bad experiences that I have had have allowed me to determine what I would like to NOT be like when I am a teacher, and I think that those experiences are almost as useful as good experiences would have been.
I firmly believe that teachers need to be compassionate, trustworthy role models for their students...