Teaching Philosophy Before I begin discussing who I am as a teacher, I want to write about who I am as a student and as a human being. I am not perfect. Nevertheless, I try to do my best when it comes to performing in class. Obviously, I’ve had horrible and great experiences as a student and these have shaped me in order to become the person I am today. I remember being insulted in front of class when I was in fourth grade. Among many things, my teacher called me nosy. This made me conscious of my actions, everything I said and asked from that moment on. I was ashamed of myself, isolated from my other classmates and felt as if they would judge or point at me. I had no confidence whatsoever. As a Teacher, I promised myself never to be disrespectful towards my students. I strongly believe in two things. First, don’t ask for something you can’t offer, therefore, if I can’t respect others; I can't expect others to respect me. Secondly, I believe in Community Language Learning (Larsen and Freeman) I will learn from my students as well as they will learn from me. It is important to have a healthy relationship with my students in class and create an environment of trust and respect. Why? Because it helps students understand that while they are in class, they are in a safe environment where they are free of sharing their thoughts. I know this has a positive and negative outcome. Negative: In the real world outside my class room, they will find many other people who may or may not necessarily think the same way, but at least my students will be confident enough to know they have a voice and that their opinions are as equally important as others. Positive side: By having a safe environment, students will have an effective learning process. Does it work? Yes, it does. In my short experience as a tenth grade teacher, students were disrespectful, called each other names, left the classroom and did not come back or made jokes when others where called on to participate during class discussion. So, I began by giving them reflections about respect and the value of each human being. Once these were implanted, they didn’t call each other names or tease others, (not because I told them to, but because they understood the importance about it) they engaged in their education. I was able to understand that they were teasing each other because of their inability to talk, read, write or understand the material because it was in English and they did not understand it. By demonstrating respect out of its true importance and not by fear, they made it theirs and lowered the shield which prevented them from learning. In terms of my college students form Intermediate English, they also, understand the importance of respect in class and this shapes them as individuals. When there are debates or any class assignment, they perform in a positive matter and demonstrate respect towards themselves, peers and their instructor. In terms of knowledge; I believe teachers are guides, who help students find their own voice, purpose and perspective of the world. Teachers should not impose something over their students; rather let them create their own meaning of how they perceive the world; create critical thinkers. Teachers should be passionate and committed with their job because they are the key for the future of future generations. They guide students to become productive citizens who have something positive to offer in society. I am an educator; clearly, I want my students to be interested and engaged with their learning experience. I believe in education because my life changed through education and I am capable of changing the lives of many students just like when I grew up and developed a passion for teaching. There is great potential and importance to the world in properly developing student’s uniqueness and abilities to learn. Students should have the option to choose what and how they want to learn, taking into consideration their needs and the instructor’s goals. As a Teaching Assistant, I consider the needs of each student and provide them with the necessary tools to become a productive and competent professional in the future. It is my job to help students realize their potential, a need to develop and strive for greatness. I focus on the solution of the problem and not the problem itself, because we cannot change the past, however, we can learn from past experiences to make the correct decisions in the present and enjoy the benefits of our present decisions in the future. I’m an agent of change. Students should be taught with a diversity of activities and techniques, both individually and in group work, to balance the individual and group needs. The goal is for students to challenge themselves and always question their prior knowledge in a way that seems natural for them. I can motivate my students the same way I was motivated by demonstrating the importance of education and what they can achieve with an exceptional education. I acknowledge the fact that I am always going to be student in life, consequently, I do not only learn in a classroom but throughout all of my life.