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In my first three years of teaching, I experimented with many different styles and strategies that seemed to work for
me. However, looking back at what I have done I can see that I had some major issues with my teaching. For one, I was teaching
to the average student in my classes. I only used a few methods and strategies that I had informally learned or practiced.
I had no definite discipline plan or method in place. And I believed that students were receivers of knowledge and I assessed
occasionally for understanding. Because of my university classes, my graduate fellowship, my experience at Wheaton High School,
and now teaching in a Hungarian school, I have been able to reflect on what I was doing previously and make appropriate changes.
Now, I am more aware of the different levels of the students and try to reach each student where they are and then extend
their understanding. I do not rely on only a few methods and strategies to reach them, I employ many different ones that I
have learned and developed to this point. I try to create engaging, active, and relevant lessons that are consistent with
the standards and incorporate language and content components. I have observed many different discipline plans and methods
and I am developing my own definitive plan based on my philosophy of teaching. Also, I have experimented with various assessments
and believe that I need to use frequent assessment to gauge student understanding. I see my role as a teacher of English to
Speakers of Other Languages as educating students in functional language skills and cultural adaptation. An ESOL educator
should not be skilled in just one area, like linguistics or English literature, because students also need to learn how language
expresses culture, history, and socialization. Learning a new language and set of cultural values can lead to a fresh perspective
on ones original culture and language and this helps guide the path towards acculturation. My own international and language
learning experiences have taught me both empathy and understanding for students struggling with a new language and place.
I believe learning is a life-long pursuit. Once you open the door to one understanding, it can open doors to others. I want
to teach students how to learn, but more importantly, I want to give them a passion for learning. The classroom should have
an atmosphere of experimentation and creativity. It is a place to focus, to shut out the noise and chaos of the outside world.
Every student should feel safe to experiment in my classroom. With this experimentation I wish to equip my students with the
language, social and professional skills to succeed outside of my class and school. Education is the most important part of
our lives and as I continue to educate myself in this graduate program and teaching experience, I can better help students
expand their own horizons. My role is not only that of an ESOL teacher, but as an educator of future citizens and leaders
of a world that is becoming increasingly smaller.
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