TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Coming into class with enthusiasm is one of the best ways I can ensure students know I
value them and their time as my students. This lets me become the teacher who wants to be in
class, who wants to help students learn. This is something I’ve come to be proud of in my own
experience as an instructor of first year writing so far. Something people have commented on
more than once in their notes on my teaching is the spirit I carry in all my announcements and
interactions with students. By being a teacher who is engaged, I am able to further facilitate the
writing process with my students. I can help illustrate how writing is something that on ongoing,
flexible, and subject to change until we decide resolutely that the writing is finished. A non-
enthusiastic approach would push students to being less enthusiastic themselves. As a result,
their writing would become less process-oriented and more product-oriented. Why work on
improving writing if the instructor doesn’t care?
Working in collaboration with a student to further understand their own writing is key for
my success as a teacher. For example, when conferencing with a student once, we started with
questions and concerns they had in regard to a portfolio project. I made sure to take the time to
listen to those questions and concerns, then responded with my own suggestions for achieving
the goals of the project. I offered different routes the student could take to get there, letting them
know that they had options. From there, I gave it back to the student. I asked them if they had
questions or ideas from my suggestions and let them talk it out. By the time we finished the
conference, the student was so much more confident than coming in and left with notes on
concrete steps they could take to move forwards. This could only have been accomplished
through listening to the student and asking questions. My role as the teacher was to offer
resources, knowledge, and expertise. Their role as a student was to ask questions, make
decisions, and be an agent in their writing journey.
While one benefit of teaching first year writing in college is teaching students how to
hone their writing skills, one of the other skills is being able to think critically. This is something
I’ve noticed students having issue with achieving in their portfolios as of late. They could do the
assignments well enough, but many had issues with articulating deeper reflection on their own
writing. The way I think that can best be achieved is by giving students structured environments
in which I can guide them through asking critical questions of their texts and writing. This is a
skill learned both in analysis of texts but also by looking critically at their own writing. To
encourage this skill further, I will emphasize the importance of author’s notes at the beginning of
the student’s assignments as well as asking students to include a reflective letter evaluating their
writing and reflecting on what they achieved in their writing.
Finally, the last thing I want to ensure about my classroom itself is that it’s one that
promotes equity. At a bare minimum, I want it to be a non-hostile environment, especially for
students who are a minority of some kind. In the Fall of 2020, North Dakota State University
faced a scandal where a bunch of male freshmen in a campus dorm had a racist group chat. I was
surprised to learn one of my students was part of that very group chat. This encouraged me to
send out an email to both of my classes, letting them know that hate speech and bigotry have no
place in my class. Moving forwards, I want to facilitate an environment where students who may
hold bigoted opinions at the very least do not create a hostile environment for targeted students. I
Commented [CK1]: • See: Warnock, "Online
Personality" – Like my peers, I take my persona as a teacher
seriously and give it so much thought. I have my students
refer to me as Ms. Coenen and I will maintain the friendly,
professional air I’ve crafted to far as a teacher. I may not be a
Chum or an Unapproachable Sage, but I do see myself as an
Approachable, Enthusiastic Expert.
Commented [CK2]: See Murray, “Teach Writing as a
Process, Not Product” - This was perhaps a saving grace
perspective as a teacher. My main goal is to teach my
students (obviously), but I’ve always been apprehensive that
my students will be afraid due to how goal-oriented writing
has become, culturally. Being able to shift writing from a
higher-stakes product to a more approachable, process. We
still ultimately must have a product by the end, but that isn’t
the focus.
Commented [CK3]: See: Giles, "Reflective writing and the
revision process: What were you thinking?" – The revision
process offered in this article so masterfully teaches students
to think critically about their own text though revision. Using
this structures approach allows them to start with what they
know in terms of critical thinking. This gives a stepping
stone for their process that allows them to take these skills
and apply them to other peoples writing.
Commented [CK4]: See: Nielsen, "ON CLASS, RACE,
AND DYNAMICS OF PRIVILEGE: SUPPORTING
GENERATION 1 5 WRITERS ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM." – This was especially important in naming
the issues within academia that are structural and hard to pin
down. While I can’t offer something perfectly pinned down,
I can do my best to create a culture that promotes equity and
discourages microaggressions against minority students.
knew immediately that I had to put this flag in the sand, to let my students know I was there for
them. I am an ally, someone willing to listen and to facilitate. At the end of the day, I want every
student to be able to walk into my classroom or log into my zoom room and know that they are
welcome, and my class is safe for them.