My Philosophy and Theory about English Teaching Essay -- Teaching Educ

My Philosophy and Theory about English Teaching Teaching is a performance, a journey, and a battle. It is political, it is taxing, and its rewards are often not reaped until years later. A classroom requires quick thinking and reactions, and the modern teacher must succeed in lives of teenagers that are becoming increasingly more tenuous and complicated. All of these items factor into why everything a successful teacher does must have the firm backing of his or her own teaching philosophy and theory. When I stand in front of my first English class and begin my effort at teaching, the farthest things from my mind will be the academic battles between the proponents of whole language and phonics. I will not be thinking about whether my ideas are at odds with Bertonneau's, or whether I will be doing Maxine Greene proud. All of these ideas will have gelled together to form my very own teaching philosophy and theory, so that I always have my own frame of reference to carry me through any situation I may face as a teacher. This is what the construction of a teaching philosophy and theory is all about - creating something that is deeply personal to your own goals as a teacher, something that is ever-evolving, yet still rooted in its original objectives. This paper is divided into separate philosophy and theory sections, but the two will form an ever-evolving, symbiotic relationship to my success as a teacher. My teaching theory - how my students go about reaching the goals explained in m y philosophy - will be based directly upon my philosophy, so it is important to discuss my philosophy first. My Teaching Philosophy What is most important about my own teaching philosophy is my intended outcomes for my students. What do I wa... ...igh school graduate has the common experience of reading Shakespeare, and this is another reason we read classics. Part of my theory on literature includes the meshing of older classics with new, even pop-culture, readings that balance the class and make it exciting. A teacher's philosophy and theories that accompany it must be ever changing to be successful. Someone once said that, "He who dares to teach must never cease learning." This is especially true for constructing a philosophy and theory. As English is an "open" subject - one that can continuously grow and change - I fully expect my philosophy and theory to undergo many changes as I venture into my career. My primary goals as an English teacher are, in essence, to get students to think and communicate effectively, and I believe that my philosophy and theory lend credence and support to this basic goal.