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So today we went to observe at Oak Canyon Jr. High School in Lindon. The teacher we observed was not incredibly hand-on but went to help out kids when they raised their hands. He sat at his computer for a little bit, but he had parent-teacher conferences later that afternoon so he was probably preparing. He wore a microphone around his neck, and I don't think I'll do that for my classes. It seemed like a cowbell.

His students seemed to be doing well. They had previously drawn orthographic sketches on paper and were working with CAD on some imacs. The teacher asked several students who finished early to walk around and help others. I think that is an effective method. The teacher also seemed to be interested in and excited about what he was teaching. I think that is really important.

When we left, it was in between hours. Wow. I don't think I want to ever be in the hall again in between classes. There were over 1,000 kids in narrow hallways that are name-calling, shoving, teasing, with the cracks filled in by students who are trying to get by. As I remembered back to my Jr. High days, they were just like that, but it didn't bother back then.

As we drove home I had a weird sensation, the same kind I got back in high school when I would get out of school early for a dentist appointment or some other reason. It was a very strange feeling. And that was the day.

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Awhile back I took a class (SFL210) which talked about the different educational philosophers and why they thought what they did. We took about a month to cover them. At the time I found it all interesting but not really applicable in my teaching. I thought that we were probably learning about them because people who teach education need to know the history behind education and people who have thought a lot about it. Last Thursday we started talking about the philosophers and I found myself wondering the same thing, namely how would knowing about the different philosophers change anything for me. It was like this: I understand that gravity works, but I don't need to know about Galileo to know that it works.

I started thinking about this during class when we revisited the subject again on Tuesday, which said to me that this is obviously important. I thought about how I tend to be an analytical person some times and I pictured myself thinking about my students and trying to analyze trends in them, and draw--from those trends--ways to better teach my students. When I pictured that image in my head, I saw the value in finding someone who had already done it for me. I realized that if I take the time to re-visit these different philosophers and their theories throughout the years it might help me revise my lesson plans and reach more students. When I realized how I could use that knowledge to my advantage I felt like my time was being used much more effectively.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was going over Bloom's taxonomy, being able to think about what that meant in terms of the word "Father." I really like when things in class help me understand something about the gospel that was on my mind recently

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All teachers have their own style, but all students do as well. In order for a teacher to reach all students, they must have an effective teaching philosophy. My teaching philosophy is that a teacher should want to teach their subject material.

When a teacher wants to teach their subject, a number of other things fall into place. The teacher will naturally be excited about what they are teaching which will help the students enjoy the class period. When the students are enjoying the class period it will be easier for them to pay attention.

When a teacher wants to teach their subject they will care about the student learning, because they will want the student to come to understand and perhaps love the subject as much as they do. They will take extra pains to make sure that the subject is taught well and the students are receiving a good education.

A teacher who teaches because he needed a job, and not because he loves teaching, is not a teacher who will reach as many students as he could have if he loved teaching. I firmly believe in that, and it is one of the reasons that my teaching philosophy includes the phrase, "want to teach."

I learned a long time ago that when a person learns anything, they learn very much through example. They learn the things that are communicated non-verbally and they learn how to pass that knowledge they gained to another person. This is one of the reasons that a teacher who wants to teach, and gets to teach what they want, is so crucial. The students will learn more than just what is being taught. They will learn that it is exciting to share knowledge and helps others learn and grow.

In conclusion, I believe there are many components that make a teacher effective but one is more important than the rest. Important components such as humor, activities, good lectures, and so on help--however, the most important element in my teaching philosophy is to make sure that the person teaching wants to be teaching, and is teaching something they love.