My Teaching Philosophy

I consider myself a born teacher because my dream was to become a teacher since my childhood.
My first English teacher was a wonderful example for me. From the first day I attended her class,
I fell in love with her style of teaching. She was the one who inspired me to become a teacher. I
have fifteen years of experience of working with children of different ages as an English teacher
in Moscow, Russia. I enjoyed my work with them a lot; it was a very interesting, useful,
practical, and crucial part of my professional growth. However, after moving to the US, I started
teaching only adults and I realize that I have a lot to learn from them as well as they have a lot to
learn from me. Therefore, I believe that teaching is a great opportunity that works in both ways.
In my opinion, the most important component of teaching philosophy is honesty, honesty with
yourself and with your students. As a caring teacher, I must pay attention to each of my students
because every student is unique. It is common knowledge that different students learn in
different ways; thus, to enhance the student learning outcomes, I must find such approach that
works for all my students. That is why, a lot of my time should be dedicated for class
preparation.
In my classroom, I try to develop and maintain a respectful environment, meaning that I respect
my students and they respect me. I believe that is crucial for a successful teacher-student
relationship. When the students feel teacher’s respect and support, they do their best to learn that
subject and enjoy doing so. The ability to help and understand the students maximizes their
learning outcomes. The relationship between me and my students is important for me.
Sometimes my students share their problems with me and ask for the advice which shows that
they trust me not only with their learning process, but they also trust me as a mentor. I always try
to be a positive role model for my students, an attentive listener, and facilitator to their problems.
In my opinion, the atmosphere in the classroom plays a huge role for students’ success and
motivation. To me, the atmosphere should be very open and friendly in the classroom. To
provide such atmosphere, I always start my classes with personally directed questions about
students’ everyday lives and well-being. What is more, before I start the semester with my new
class, I always talk to my students about their errors and fears and tell them to feel free to ask me
any questions. I encourage them by saying that, they could make mistakes, and it is natural, as
they learn to speak and use a foreign language. That is how I establish an open and trusted
relationship between me and my students. They shouldn’t be afraid of talking, as we are all
human and we all happen to make mistakes; so do I. I am there to guide them and to teach them
how to speak properly and master their language skills.
I believe, that the relationship between teacher and students is the key to a successful education.
If the students trust their teacher, if they are motivated, and if they believe in themselves, they
should excel in studying and show progress very soon. I enjoy witnessing such moments after
teaching and helping my students with it. I love my profession so much that I can’t imagine my
life without it. I am sure that I will be teaching for my entire life, as being in the classroom with
my students brings me the true joy.