4 of 5: Short Essay Answers: My Philosophy

Education is a necessary requirement for a functioning democracy. Indeed, without an educated public, the critical thinking skills and information awareness required to make the difficult choices presented by our rapidly-changing world will be found totally lacking. In a functioning democracy, all citizens not only deserve and have the right to a good educational experience, but are required to have one in order for such a society to thrive and prosper. It is in the spirit of producing highly educated, proactive, and critical citizens that I believe all professional teachers must approach their life's work.
Literacy is a fundamental gateway set of skills, providing the basis for all other modes of intellectual and moral development. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening develop the critical thinking and communication skills on which every other field of a learner's growth are based. Importantly, the desired growth goes beyond mere intellectual skills, extending to moral and social development as well. Communication and critical thinking skills are necessary for every facet of an individual's development into a well-rounded, intelligent adult, and it's with the earnest desire to foster them that I have chosen English as my preferred field. If I can help students become proficient at communicating and critical thinking, then I have given them a solid shot at academic success overall, as well as an opportunity to become a productive, proactive democratic citizens who enjoy well-rounded, interesting lives.
The skill-set developed in a successful English classroom give students the tools they will need to achieve whatever goals they choose to set in life, and in fact, give students a better idea of what goals to set. Reading, writing, speaking, listening, and even research skills are a prerequisite for advancement in the professional world, regardless of one's specialty or chosen field. To me, developing students into effective communicators and critical thinkers comes from differentiated instruction in all five of the skill-areas listed above: reading, writing, speaking, listening, and research. It will be my job to meet my students where they are at developmentally, and to bring as many different instructional strategies to them as possible, not assuming that one method of teaching will suit all. This means modeling good writing on the overhead projector, as well as via our texts, and giving them as much practice as possible in both formal and informal settings, via essay and research assignments, and less formal journal practice. With the idea that effective writers become effective thinkers who can develop a strong sense of identity and self-efficacy, I will make it my goal to have my students writing every day, or almost every day, in one way or another.
Finally, as an English teacher, I will focus on developing my students' reading comprehension and interest in literature. For starters, reading is the single most representative “gateway skill,” the skill upon which all other skill-acquisition is based. While writing and speaking more strictly correlate to the “effective communication” element of my dual basis for democratic citizenship, reading more closely corresponds to the critical thinking aspect. Developing a lifelong love of reading is another great service I believe I can give to my students. Appreciating literature helps people put themselves in human experiences far beyond their own, thinking about the moral and practical aspects of others' problems, and developing a sense of empathy, as well as critical thinking skills.