Guadalupe Bryan

I believe all students deserve the respect, patience, and love necessary to guide them toward becoming better students, and ultimately, better citizens of their community and world. In order to help students become able to help themselves, it is mandatory that I respect and value them for who they are academically, emotionally, socially, and culturally. Creating a safe environment where all students feel comfortable coming to class and ready to contribute to dialogue is absolutely essential in an English classroom, regardless of the level.

 

 

In order to achieve a truly student-centered, dialogic classroom certain rules, routines, and expectations must be in place. Students need opportunities to bring their lives, interests, and personal histories/knowledge into the classroom. Within an ideal dialogic classroom, this would be possible on a daily basis. I strive to have strong relationships with all of my classes and all of my students. I believe strong relationships within the classroom bring stronger academic performances, honesty, and trust. It is my goal to foster those characteristics within my classroom at all times. Through strong relationships and mutual respect, more time can be spent constructing knowledge rather than disciplining. 

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Culture plays an important role in the lives of students at home; so likewise, it ought to play a major role in school. My role as a teacher of English literature and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) is rooted nearly equally in my life experiences with language and literature, as well as my longing to ignite a passion for both reading and writing within my students. I hope to teach a variety of texts rooted in the lives of my students. While addressing the individual needs of my students I also aim to meet standards throughout all of my lessons, regardless of the text or topic. Teaching texts from a variety of perspectives, such as an array of cultures, as well as texts which give a voice to traditionally oppressed groups, is something I feel strongly about. I believe teaching diverse texts which address themes and experiences which resonate with my students is important for two reasons: First, to keep students engaged; Secondly, exposing students to texts which challenge or affirm their view of themselves and the world. By embracing students’ prior knowledge and experiences the classroom can become a community of learners who learn not solely through my instruction, but through the students’ interaction with one another. 

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My teaching philosophy is one that depends equally on teaching and learning. That is to say, not only will I teach my students but I expect they will teach me as well. All students are unique individuals and bring their personal experiences, histories, prior knowledge, and cultures into the classroom. My goal is to create a warm and welcoming community in which students feel comfortable sharing their voice from their unique perspective through dialogue, discussion, and writing. Student engagement within my class, as well as their engagement in their community, are both very valuable. Using all that students are exposed to in an ELA class, ranging from the materials to the experiences and knowledge students share with each other, I strongly believe bridging our classroom community to the community at large is a valuable way to help foster personal growth within the students. 

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Both content knowledge and language objectives are equally of value to me when examining my students' success. One aspect of my identity which influences my role as a teacher is my relationship with language--I am a heritage speaker of Spanish and I believe the dichotomy English and Spanish created in my life, particularly my youth, not only influences me but also allows me to better relate to my English as a Second Language (ESL) students. I think this makes me equally a unique English literature/language teacher, but also a very passionate one. Although at times it may be difficult teaching to a classroom with native and non-native speakers of English, I believe these challenges can be overcome in a classroom that values cultural differences alongside relatability, communication, meaningful discussions, and an appropriately challenging curriculum.

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I expect my students to engaged with all of the texts we read and eager when it comes to writing and discussion. Engagement within an English Language Arts (ELA) classroom can take form in a variety of ways such as discussion, reading, reflection, and writing. Further, students can demonstrate their comprehension in other modes through assessments or assignments. Respecting the various modes of engagement and comprehension around the texts I teach and assignments I assign is important because I aim to embrace the various learning styles I will encounter in the classroom. Additionally, I expect all of my students to engage with one another through whole-class discussion, group work, their writing, or otherwise. Ultimately, I hope for my students two things: First, I hope that my students all develop a passionate curiosity about not only the texts they read but also the English language (especially the non-native speakers); Secondly, I expect to foster a strong sense of community within my classroom.