Reflections
Preparing a portfolio such as this allowed me the opportunity to look at who I am as a teacher and what has shaped that identity. I believe that my own experiences as a student have had a profound effect on my teaching identity. I went to a small, liberal arts college where I built personal relationships with faculty. The idea of 30,000 students was staggering to me when I thought about small classes on my 750-student campus.
This desire for relationships between students and instructors has instilled in me a desire to understand who my students are as people -- not just faces staring at me or names in a gradebook. It is from this acknowledgment that my teaching philosophy grew to describe how I deal with tensions in the classroom. By navigating these tensions with my students, I can help them learn but at the same time do my own learning. Although I have taught sections of the same course in multiple semesters, I can honestly say that no two semesters were exactly the same. I learned and adjusted from day-to-day and semester-to-semester. I integrated my experiences in seminars and professional development to enhance my learning and took to heart what I heard from my students, both verbally and nonverbally.
Although my official time as a student will end with the completion of my dissertation, by pursuing a teaching career, I know that my time as a learner will never truly end. As I learn and grow, so will this portfolio and I look forward to the opportunity to be further reflective on my teaching and learning.