Evolution of My Beliefs on Teaching and Learning Pre and Post

"Am I really meant to be a teacher?" Since my Day 1 as a teacher, there are a lot of questions that I usually ask myself. I am still on the process of seeking answers to those questions. I always wonder, why am I in this profession? Can I handle the students? the parents? Do I have the courage to take responsibility for their future? In this "Evolution of My Beliefs on Teaching and Learning Pre and Post Essay," I will try to share my teaching philosophy and how it has evolved over time.

Being a teacher is a complex task, the moment I committed myself, I must be an instrument for my students to be the best version of themselves. As a teacher, I am not just handling their present lives but also their lives on the future. What will be their mindset towards their goal? It is not just a simple teaching of lesson that came from the book but teaching them on how to apply it to real life situations. Teaching is a big responsibility because young lives will depend on me. The concepts, knowledge and wisdom that I will teach will serve as their foundation and guide in their future. It is not just a job but also a purpose to continue even if I encounter a lot of problems. One of the challenges as a teacher is how can I give my best while molding my students to be the best version of themselves. I must think of appropriate methods and approaches in order to help the students learn in life.

On my almost five years in this profession, I already encountered a lot of problems and victories. I learned a lot and is continuously learning especially with the new system that we are experiencing now. My philosophy in teaching came from all my experiences as a teacher and inspired by the impact of my teachers when I was still a student. Honestly, in my first year of teaching it was hard to answer the question with regards to what is my philosophy in teaching. But as I continue this journey, I eventually had this thought in which serves as the foundation of my strategies and approaches to be used in my instruction. I believe that students differ in many ways, some students may excel in a particular discipline and some may not but I believe that if these students will just focus, do their best and believe in themselves even if they are not good in that field I think that there will still be good outcomes. Moreover, I always do my best to explain a concept in a way that they can relate and absorb the lesson so that they will be able to apply it in real life situations. I believe that application is very important because learning is not just limited within the class instead this must be evident as we deal to different situations and problems in life for them to be a better person in the society.

Since the very beginning of my teaching, I decided to open the doors for my students in such a way that I want them to realize that they can do various things. I am giving differentiated activities for my students to know themselves more when it comes to their strengths and weaknesses. This is also intended for them to show what they can do and where they are good at. At the same time, they can also improve themselves. I always encourage my students to try and believe in themselves that before they say that they cannot do certain task, give it a try first.

One example that I noticed in my class specifically in Chemistry classes is that my students tend to give up immediately in solving chemistry problems without even trying to understand the lesson. As what I had experienced, some students have difficulties in understanding the concepts discussed that’s why they are also struggling when it comes to application. And because they do not know the concept, they do not even try to solve. Because of this, I always do my best to discuss the lesson in the best way that they can absorb the concept. I also motivate them to try solving the problems on their own and mostly of my students when they already exert effort and do their best eventually they were able to answer the given problems. In this situation, I always emphasize to them the importance of trying before thinking that they cannot do it. If they will just believe that they can do a certain task, then there will be good outcomes. I wanted to emphasize the right mindset that they should always have in everything that they do by guiding them in all possible ways that I can help them.

Teachers have their own philosophy in teaching. This serves as their direction and foundation of instruction. It is also something that they look back in times of difficulty and when they felt like they do not have direction in their teaching. Personally, every time that I am struggling I always look back to the reason of my actions as a teacher. My teaching philosophy reflects my values and beliefs in teaching and learning towards the development of my students. This serves as my core of teaching and I believe “Students differ in various way, their skills, capabilities and way of thinking. They just need a person who will push, motivate and enlighten them to always try, do their best and believe that they can accomplish something good and eventually achieve their goals, and that person-is ME!”