Teacher Identity

What does it mean to be ‘effective’?

The definition of ‘effective’, as described by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is: “producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect”. To me, personally, effective teaching is the ability to meet students where they are at academically, personally, and emotionally, and guide them to develop further in each of these areas.

What characteristics does an effective teacher have?
Effective teachers are kind, caring, responsive, inclusive, passionate, and flexible.

What kind of teacher do I want to become?

I want to be an effective teacher that makes an impact on students’ lives. Growing up, I remember looking up to my teachers, and I want to be a role model like I was lucky enough to have when I was younger. As demonstrated through my first practicum, it is very important to build relationships with students. This was one of my top priorities going into my first practicum, and it paid off! Since my short three week practicum I have ran into many students both inside and outside of schools, and their excitement when they see me reminds me of why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place. 

I not only want to be pedagogically sound, and uphold both the Teacher Education Competencies, and the BC Teacher Standards, but create a safe, welcoming, inclusive space for every student that walks through my classroom doors. 

What do I need to learn to become an effective teacher?

Since beginning this program, I have grown an incredible amount. However, I am excited to continue my learning through the rest of my degree, and into my career. The areas that I have highlighted as intended areas of growth for this year are:

• Utilize different assessment methods
• Meaningfully Indigenize lessons
• Set clear goals and expectations with students
• Differentiate lessons and increase my inclusive practices

There is still a lot for me to learn! As a life-long learner, I intend to continue my learning and education far past this degree so that I can be the most effective teacher possible.

What are my beliefs about teaching (my teaching philosophy)?

I believe that every student deserves to, and needs to feel safe, included, and respected in their learning environment; it is very important to develop teacher-student relationships, as well as a positive classroom community.. I believe that every student should be held to high standards in order to develop both personally and academically to help prepare students for their futures. 

Reflection

The first competency for Teacher Education, as outlined by the University of Victoria is “develop an awareness of your worldview and how this relates to others’ worldviews”. As future educators, it is incredibly important that we regularly evaluate our own personal worldviews , as it can affect our classroom practices. 

What is a worldview?

The definition of worldview from the Merriam-Webster dictionary is: “a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint”. My personal understanding is:  worldview is how an individual understands and views their life and the world around them. Worldviews are shaped through experiences, education, culture, childhood, and family. As a future educator, it is critical to remember that everyone has a different world view, beliefs, and biases.

How would you describe your worldview?

I believe that family and relationships are important above all else. I see mistakes as opportunities to grow, and hard work pays off. I believe that nature and time spent outdoors and with animals can be extremely beneficial to learn and grow from. I believe that helping others is important, even when no one is watching.

While thinking about your own worldview, also consider the impacts of your ethnocultural, socioeconomic, geopolitical and spiritual identities.

I am very aware that I come from a very privileged background and family. I grew up here in Cranbrook in a middle class family and always had everything that I needed. My Dad passed away when I was one year old, and my amazing  family has supported my Mom, sister and I all throughout our lives.

In reflection of my own world view, it is important to acknowledge that some people have horrible lives at home, are marginalized, racialized, and lacking basic resources. It is important for me to recognize that I will have a vastly different worldview than a lot of people, including my future students.

Why, as a teacher, is it important to be aware of your own worldview, as well as those of your students and school community?

As a teacher it is important to regularly evaluate your own worldview, as well as your students. Being aware of possible differences between worldviews is very important to create a safe environment. For example, some students may be incredibly excited for spring break because they are going to Mexico, whereas some students may be dreading it because home is not a happy place for them and they always wonder where their next meal will come from if they don’t get it provided for them at school. Even asking a simple question in the classroom like “what are your plans for spring break?” or “what was your favourite thing you did on the weekend?” can negatively impact a student and your classroom culture. As teachers, differences in worldviews have to be taken into account for every aspect of the classroom.

What can you do, as a teacher, to ensure that your worldview does not impede the success of the diversity of learners in your classroom?

As a teacher, it is important to regularly reflect on your own worldview, the possible worldviews of your students, as well as your classroom practices (speaking of school breaks, celebrating holidays, using and collecting diverse classroom resources). In addition to this, it is important to regularly reflect on any underlying biases you have. Doing this, and being a life-long learner to continue to improve your practices is very important to create a safe and inclusive classroom environment.

When do you consider it to be necessary to challenge the western worldview as it impacts the K-12 education system?

From the time that I was in the K-12 education system, it has evolved a lot. However, there is still room for growth. In my classroom, I will not necessarily reject the western worldview, but rather challenge it to make space for many different worldviews. The BC curriculum has now been ‘Indigenized’, but I plan to go beyond that and make my room a culturally appropriate, safe space for any individual. As I said above, one of my goals this year is to be more meaningful in my Indigenization of lesson plans.

The article Indigenous Worldviews vs Western Worldviews points out the differences between the Indigenous worldview about truths being dependant on individual experiences, compared to the western worldview that truth is based around science and law. This point particularly resonated with me when it comes to the science curriculum. Science is an area that we must make room for other worldviews, especially when it comes to Indigenous peoples. We have to go beyond the content standards of  “the knowledge of local First Peoples of ecosystems” and “local First Peoples knowledge of landforms” and immerse ourselves in true Indigenous knowledge and learning.

What aspects of the BC curriculum reinforce or challenge a western worldview?

The BC Curriculum itself reinforces the western worldview in that way that it is more on a linear process, based off of years in school. Additionally, the content and competencies within the curriculum that has been ‘Indigenized’ is still approximately ninety percent based off of western knowledge and worldviews.