“Teach your tongue to say ‘I don’t know’ and you shall progress.”
-Maimonides
My approach to education:
Just as a student cannot make a teacher teach, a teacher cannot make a student learn. Therefore, it is not my goal nor my responsibility to make my students learn, they must do so for themselves. Rather, my responsibility is to provide my students with the resources necessary for learning, and the encouragement to use them. These resources include engaging lesson plans, a safe environment with minimal distractions, clear communication, and years of experience in the relevant fields of study.
I strive to teach not for the purpose of memorization or test-taking, but rather to instill in my students problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically. I aim for my classroom to inspire genuine curiosity and a love of learning.
Concerning student conduct:
It is an inevitable fact that teaching high-school students will occasionally present challenges regarding the management of classroom behavior, but it is vital that my students know I am not out to punish or police them. I believe that a student’s fear of disciplinary action presents an obstacle to their learning by hindering their ability to think in new ways. Therefore I make every effort to primarily use positive reinforcement techniques to manage the decorum of my classroom.
A student who struggles to focus and understand the lessons does not deserve to be treated with any less respect or care than a student who excels academically in my class. That being said, it would be a failure on my end to let a disruptive student interfere with their classmates’ education. In these kinds of situations I will direct the disruptive student to leave the classroom, making every effort to ensure the student understands the following:
Removing the student from the classroom does not reflect a judgement on their character. It is simply a practical approach to maintaining classroom decorum and thereby preserving the educational environment of the room. A student’s removal from the classroom is not the result of an offense towards the teacher, but rather the result of an offense towards their classmates. The student is always welcome back so long as they demonstrate respect for the decorum of the classroom, and the education of their peers.
