Running head: MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING

Perspective #1 My Beliefs About Teaching

Miranda McIntyre
Red Deer College
EDUC 250
January 28, 2014
Brent Galloway

MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING

My Beliefs About Teaching
My Philosophy

I would present that a teacher transforms throughout their careers and their beliefs start to
evolve and mold to who they have become. When you are learning to become a teacher there is
this image in your head of what kind of teacher you are going to be but there is no way of telling
until you are actually standing in front of a class teaching the students that you come to
realization who you truly want to be as a teacher. There are many people, shows, and textbooks
that inspire us to be a good teacher and they are the beginning of what molds students to want to
become excellent teachers.
I want to become a teacher because I believe that people are meant to use their gifts and
passions for the benefit of those around us. If you are gifted in teaching others to learn then it is
an incredible gift to be able to share it with the world. I love teaching others to learn and seeing
their face when they finally understand the material. The break through moment for every student
is a wonderful moment to experience. According to the textbook Becoming a Teacher, Your
behavior as a teacher is strongly connected to your personal values and your beliefs about
teaching and learning, students, knowledge, and what is worth knowing.(61) I have always
wanted to take the journey with students in being a life long learner and not only being able to
teach them new ways of incorporating new curriculum but learning new things from the students
as well. When I was a young student in elementary school I loved playing school in my
grandmas basement but it did not become apparent to me that I wanted to become a teacher until
I was in high school. We were given more projects where we had to work in groups and when a
peer of mine did not understand the schoolwork I found it rewarding when I was able to help
them understand. I interviewed the teacher who I am volunteering with Ms. Neilson, and she had

MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING

some wise words about teaching. She said, I aspire to be an encouragement and inspiration to
my students, helping them grow to their full potential. (Personal communication, Mrs. Neilson,
January 24, 2015.) I decided to interview my mentor teacher because she is so great at engaging
the students to learn and strive to create their best work. She inspires me to want to become a
great teacher just like her.
Each individual that is taking the path to becoming a teacher has his or her own beliefs on
what good teaching looks like. As students we are all life long observers of our teachers. We
watched each and every one of them teach in their own individual way and have determined in
our minds what being a good teacher looks like. In my opinion good teaching may take on
different forms for each teacher because we all respond differently to situations and to the needs
of students within the classroom environment. Ms. Neilsons perspective on what being a good
teacher looks like was very encouraging as she said, Good teachers reflect on their teaching
practice by gathering more data to inform whether or not student learning was achieved and make
a plan to move forward, making modifications and accommodations, as needed, in order to help
their students achieve the maximum growth. (Personal communication, Mrs. Neilson, January
24, 2015.) I found her belief to be rather eye opening and it helped me understand that each
students needs are different and in order for me to become a good teacher I have to understand
the needs of each one of my students and adapt to their learning needs.
I want to become a teacher that is continuously evolving with the new material that I learn
and the courses that I will have to take. I want to be the teacher who can answer any students
questions and if they do not understand the first way, I will show them I want to be able to have
such a broad knowledge on different skills that I will be able to demonstrate how to solve any
question or situation with multiple different methods. I am committed to growing as a teacher and
I am excited to be a life long learner. Depending on the grades that I will be able to teach I think

MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING

each individual one will have something different to offer and they will help me evolve as a
teacher. When it comes to my teaching style I would like to be hands on in demonstrating how
the curriculum works but I would also like a student centered learning environment where the
students are able to learn on their own and help each other out. In my opinion, students learn by
doing and if they can help each other learn the material then I will know that they understand the
knowledge that has been taught to them.
Some personal qualities that will help me as a teacher are my organizational skills and my
ability to plan. I am hoping to be able to create a learning environment where the students are
willing to participate without feeling shy in front of their classmates. I am quite fond of
improvisation and acting and I am eager to incorporate that into my teaching style. I believe a
factor that will help me be a successful teacher is my ability to be open to new learning ways as
well as having a growth mindset. I believe that no curriculum is fixed and that there will always
be a different way to teach. I have a strong work ethic which will help me when I am being
evaluated and the ability to collaborate with my peers/staff members will help me mold
relationships around the school environment which will be presented as positive.
In conclusion, being a teacher will be the greatest opportunity to encourage students to be
engaged and love learning. Students are always looking up to their superiors and in this case it is
their teachers. They are learning not only the curriculum from their teachers but they are
watching the way they present themselves because they need someone to look up to. I want to
create an environment so that my students are open to learn and be able to get their creative juices
flowing. I want to make a difference. I want to be a teacher.

MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING

References
M.Neilson, personal communication, January 24, 2015.
Parkay, F., Hardcastle Stanford, B., Vaillancourt, J., & Stephens, H., Harris, J. (2010).
Becoming a Teacher. Toronto, Ontario: Pearsons Canada Inc.