Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is that education should be a pathway for each student to discover their potential, develop critical skills, and recognize themselves as deserving of success. My formal training and experiences in special education, applied behavior analysis, psychology, and TESOL have informed my approach to teaching: teaching is a science and a relationship. It is a science, utilizing research-established methods, but also a relationship that requires teachers to know the student as an individual and respect the unique backgrounds and experiences that each individual contributes to the classroom.

I stress the importance of relationships in my teaching. I seek to create an environment where students feel safe, respected, and supported so they can take risks as learners. I create a classroom environment using trauma-informed practices, social emotional learning, and culturally responsive teaching. I seek to make all my students feel welcomed and develop their own sense of belonging in the classroom. I see my role as a teacher to be a facilitator of not only academic progress, but also of resilience, confidence, and self-advocacy.

In order to navigate the extensive knowledge base obtained from the related fields, I adopt my primary profession’s purpose as the anchor. From ABA, I borrow the tools to create systematic and data-driven instruction. Through reinforcing strategies and functional analysis, I seek to bring success and progress to my students while maintaining a strengths-based perspective. Psychology allows me to consider the developmental trajectory of my learners and their motivations while TESOL evokes the belief that language opens the door to connection and possibilities. Furthemore, special education allows me to adapt to the individual needs of my students. Overall, all of these disciplines inform my instructional decisions to foster both growth and learning.

Furthermore, I view education as a partnership. I believe in partnering with students, communities, and colleagues to design relevant and purposeful supports. I demonstrate this for my learners, illustrating the idea that teaching and learning is a shared endeavour. Finally, I believe that teaching is fundamentally rooted in the idea of equity. All students are capable of accessing meaningful high expectations, personalized support, and opportunities to flourish.

In short, my teaching communicates the integrity of ABA, the developmental knowledge from psychology, the diversity advocacy from special education, and the culture awareness from TESOL. I create learning environments for my students to develop, explore their identity, and build their self-perception as community contributors.