This I Believe… Why I Teach…

My university is celebrating 100 years!  In honor of this history, we have suggested developing a “centennial project” to collect 100 statements about teaching – personal statements from 100 professors about what motivates them to teach.

The idea is based on the popular NPR show This I Believe and the This I Believe book collections (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2), which ask “remarkable men and women” to share their “personal philosophies” and “core beliefs.”  Another basis for the idea is the story collection Why I Teach.

I thought I would give it a try as well…  The post below is a draft I shared at my university.

This I Believe…

I was the first person in my family to attend school in the United States.  When I entered the sixth grade, I knew enough English to have a conversation, but I was behind my classmates in everything they had previously learned:  vocabulary, sentence writing, reading skills, science and social studies terminology, and much more.  To compensate, my teachers assigned me homework from third-grade textbooks.  I was the only student in that sixth-grade class, probably the only sixth-grade student in the history of that school, to use third-grade textbooks.  I also studied with a language tutor every day, and with a home-school family after school.

This experience was incredibly alienating, and I longed to join my classmates in class activities and in the playground.  I eventually did so, both academically and socially.  In high school, I enrolled in advanced courses and finished in the top 5% of my class.  Also in high school and in college, I joined several student clubs, participated in theater, and held leadership positions.  Since then, I have completed multiple degrees, and I continue to learn on a regular basis through professional development workshops, books, and podcasts.

Having spent so much time focusing on my learning, I have developed an interest teaching, learning science, and academic administration.  Today, I believe in the transformative power of education because I have first-hand experience with its benefits, and I want to empower all students to improve their lives, their families, and their communities.  To this end, I use my leadership platform and my scholarship to advocate for student success and quality education.  I do this on a daily basis in my current role by guiding faculty to improve their skills in teaching, technology, and assessment.

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What is your statement of belief for teaching?  Post your comments below or click Contact Me to email me directly.