My philosophy

As a student who has been under plenty of teaching from numerous educators, I feel comfortable in saying that I have seen plenty of good and plenty of bad, and that I believe that taking everything good that I have seen and applying that good to myself will result in me being a great teacher.  A teacher needs to be patient with students.  Each student learns differently, and at a different pace.  A teacher has to ready themselves for that and understand that the student needs help.  A teacher cannot be cross with his/her students, though discipline is needed and a teacher should be able to be strict, but fair and flexible to accommodate the students to a reasonable extent.  The teacher needs to be able to look at themselves through the students' eyes.  Students are very observant of teachers, and along with a good example needing to be set for them, there is a need to be seen as helpful to each and every student.  If a student does not believe that you are trying to help them and not simply brushing them aside without hope for them or that you are only there to get a paycheck, the student will shut down and even if your methods of teaching are the greatest on Earth, there will be no reaching that student.  I believe that if good relationships are built with every student from the start (at least as much as possible), it will be easier to reach that student at some point and educate them.  A sense of humor, humility, a passion for teaching and the content area being taught are essential to a successful teacher.