Discovering your Authentic Teaching Self
(post due Sep. 16th by midnight; comments due Sep. 20th by 6:00 pm)
The post by Sarah Deel resonated well with me. I felt like she was talking about me while reading her first 3 paragraphs. My first experience with teaching came in my second semester during my Masters program at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. I was the teaching assistant in one of the Civil Engineering […]
The first time I taught here at Virginia Tech, I was in charge of two lectures for a large class of 300 students. Back then, I had little teaching experience, and I decided to use the course instructor’s teaching style to deliver the material. I tried to follow his unstructured, figure-less and serious way of …
Continue reading “Finding my true teaching self: my past journey and my future path”
My introduction to teaching was not being in front of a large group of students. I started as a preceptor in my senior year of undergrad. I was told that my role was to help students work through exercises in class. I came to learn that my intera…
I always thought that teaching was an inherently performative activity. Therefore, I assumed that to be considered a good teacher you must conform to be an actor and entertainer in the classroom. These assumptions were built by watching both teachers a…
I always try to have a keen eye to learn the engaging behaviors that I observe in the teaching styles of other people. However, I have my own philosophy and do not believe in blindly imitating anyone to build my … Continue reading
Being a subject matter expert does not guarantee that the person can successfully transfer that knowledge to someone else and is no benchmark for being a great teacher. Great teachers have the ability to impart knowledge to their students in a manner that leaves an impression on their hearts and minds for life. My …
Continue reading “Voice of Enlightenment: Reflections On My Inner Teaching Self”
Being authentic seems like a simple task; just be yourself. Being an authentic teacher in front of a full classroom takes another level of self-reflection. Are you being yourself? Are trying to be who you want to be? Are you … Continue reading
Sarah Deel’s narrative on finding her true teaching voice provided a wonderful journey through her first experiences teaching and helped me think back to my first year (last year) and how much I have continued to adapt my own teaching style. As a public speaking teacher, we are given a weekly script and overview ofContinue reading “Discovering my authentic teaching self”
This week’s readings went over finding your teaching voice as well as how to be yourself in the classroom. Having been a public speaking teacher to more than 240 students since my time began here at Tech, I found this reading to be very reflective of the lessons I had to learn along the way. …
I discovered early on that teaching is by far the most enjoyable activity for me. My favorite game was to gather children the same age and play the role of their teacher. I was lucky to have a younger sister … Continue reading