Philosophy of Education
For many, becoming an educator is a back-up plan. At least that’s what it was for my
mom, a teacher of 29 years. Growing up, I thought my mother was the coolest person ever, and I
wanted to be exactly like her, including being a teacher. Much like other children, I cycled
through all of the jobs I wanted to hold when I grew up, but all of these careers had one thing in
common; they all surrounded education. First it was a dance instructor, then a karate coach, and
at one point I even wanted to be a history teacher. Each time I would tell my mom my new
favorite career path, she would attempt to dissuade me from being an educator by warning me
about the difficulties she faced everyday, and each time she did this I fiercely defended by want
to be a teacher. I understood her reservations, especially since she chose the education field out
of necessity, but for me being an educator is intentional. I have, and will continue to, stand by my
choice to become a teacher because I know that being able to teach, learn from, and build
relationships with my students is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Beyond my want to be a teacher, I also have a deep understanding of the responsibilities I
must fulfill as a future educator. First, I am of the belief that teachers must be willing to learn and
seek out new information, even when they are long into their careers. While I am working
towards being a professional in all there is to know about theater, I also strive to be a lifelong
learner, because I believe that there is always more you can learn about a multitude of
disciplines. For example, attending workshops and educational conferences has shown me that
effective teachers are those who welcome feedback and learn from it, which is a practice I intend
to uphold. I would like to be a teacher who is able to take constructive criticism, and learn from
my students. In my experience, teachers who make an effort to look inwardly, be flexible, and
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work for their students rather than themselves are the educators who are most likely to make a
difference in the lives of the children they teach.
Similarly, I would like to be a teacher who is able to create deep and meaningful
relationships with their students. The theater discipline often requires students to be more
vulnerable both to their teachers and peers, and this is something I would take very seriously as
an educator. I feel that theater teachers too often overlook their responsibilities, and can often
make students uncomfortable, and as a teacher, I would like to take the extra time and care to
make students comfortable in my classroom at all times. Theater is an incredibly vulnerable art
that can stir up and bring to light a lot of emotions for all parties, which is a fact that I feel is not
adequately acknowledged at the high school level. Anyone who participated in theater in middle
and high school probably has a horror story about their teacher not respecting their boundaries.
For example, I had a teacher who made me perform most of a show on top of a six foot platform,
despite my protests and fear. This can be seen over and over again, with teachers forcing high
schoolers to perform intimate scenes together, say lines they are uncomfortable with, and more.
As a future educator, I strive to be able to build relationships with my students wherein they feel
comfortable, not only telling me about things that worry them, but also comfortable telling me
‘no’ when they are uncomfortable. Only when students are comfortable in my classroom and
around me as an educator, will I be able to push my students to fulfill the goals I have in mind
for them.
Continuing on, I will continue to believe that every aspect of my career as a teacher
should be intentional. I will become a teacher because I want to be one, I will be a life-long
learner on purpose, and most importantly I will treat my students with care, patience, and
understanding by striving to build intentional connections with them.
