Tell Me How You Really Feel: 14
You know what's got me stymied today? A teaching statement. Go ahead and laugh right now, because inside, I'm rolling on the floor in a puddle of giggles. The woman who calls herself a teacher and a writer cannot find the proper way to give voice to her philosophy of teaching? In a word, yes. I need to fashion a statement, and the only statement I'd like to make right about now is, "If I'm not sure, I can always make it up."
Those of you who know me would understand why that sentence rose to the forefront of my mind. I write fiction, for goodness sakes. I spend much of my day in another (albeit real) universe altogether. But I don't think the powers-that-be would like for me to say that I make anything up when it comes to biology. And I don't. I never have. In fact, I'll admit I don't know an answer before I would ever contemplate spouting BS to a student. I know that having a doctorate doesn't mean I know everything (although the classic definition of scientist is a person who is an expert in their field). Having a doctorate means I have the capacity to learn and to apply the knowledge of what I've learned. Which means, if I don't know the answer, I can go look it up, understand it, and come back and teach it to the students.
But what about my philosophy? Do I even have one? I'm not sure. I know that I want everyone I teach to be as enthusiastic as I am about the subject matter (which of course, is difficult at times...I mean, how excited can you get about anatomical planes), and I want them to come to class ready to ask questions. I know that I want to make the class exciting (even when it's difficult), I want to help students learn at every opportunity, and I want them to know that if a married mom with twins can make it to the end of graduate school then, yes, they can, too. It's all about courage, and determination, and perseverance, by golly!
None of that is good for a statement, though. And with all the writing I do, you'd think I'd be able to come up with something great, wonderful even.
So I'm going back to the basics. I'm going to answer a few questions that come up repeatedly when I Google "statement of teaching philosophy" and if nothing else, I'll let them know that once upon a time, I wanted to be Ms. Frizzle.Who doesn't like Ms. Frizzle, you know? Who wouldn't want a woman like her as a member of the faculty? Maybe, if I get granted an interview, I'll even go dressed like the woman. Wouldn't that be a hoot?
Those of you who know me would understand why that sentence rose to the forefront of my mind. I write fiction, for goodness sakes. I spend much of my day in another (albeit real) universe altogether. But I don't think the powers-that-be would like for me to say that I make anything up when it comes to biology. And I don't. I never have. In fact, I'll admit I don't know an answer before I would ever contemplate spouting BS to a student. I know that having a doctorate doesn't mean I know everything (although the classic definition of scientist is a person who is an expert in their field). Having a doctorate means I have the capacity to learn and to apply the knowledge of what I've learned. Which means, if I don't know the answer, I can go look it up, understand it, and come back and teach it to the students.
But what about my philosophy? Do I even have one? I'm not sure. I know that I want everyone I teach to be as enthusiastic as I am about the subject matter (which of course, is difficult at times...I mean, how excited can you get about anatomical planes), and I want them to come to class ready to ask questions. I know that I want to make the class exciting (even when it's difficult), I want to help students learn at every opportunity, and I want them to know that if a married mom with twins can make it to the end of graduate school then, yes, they can, too. It's all about courage, and determination, and perseverance, by golly!
None of that is good for a statement, though. And with all the writing I do, you'd think I'd be able to come up with something great, wonderful even.
So I'm going back to the basics. I'm going to answer a few questions that come up repeatedly when I Google "statement of teaching philosophy" and if nothing else, I'll let them know that once upon a time, I wanted to be Ms. Frizzle.Who doesn't like Ms. Frizzle, you know? Who wouldn't want a woman like her as a member of the faculty? Maybe, if I get granted an interview, I'll even go dressed like the woman. Wouldn't that be a hoot?
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