My teaching philosophy

My biggest inspiration when it comes to teaching is my father. He was a university professor for 30+ years; he was determined and passionate. I remember being a kid and admiring how caring and committed he was with his students and how much he loved teaching. He used to tell me that being a professor is very exhausting, but it was worth it because in the end, he was planting a little seed of knowledge in the minds of his students, and it was their mission to keep taking care of that little seed so it can turn into a strong tree.

Thanks to the academic environment of my family, I developed a love of reading, language learning, and a passion for the humanities. In addition, I have always been fascinated by the complex and globalized world in which we live, these interests led to my desire to dedicate my professional life to decipher and solve the challenges that arise daily.

Speaking from my own experience when it comes to learning languages my teachers played an important role in realizing what I would like to do in my own classroom, I want my classroom to be a safe space for learning, where students can express their concerns and feel respected, where they are not afraid or ashamed of making mistakes. This is important to me because as a student, I remember being terrified of making mistakes and being anxious to participate during class.

I like it when students are motivated and eager to learn which is an important part of language learning but not a predictor of success. However, staying motivated can be hard, which is why I strive to create a learning environment that is interesting and relevant, for instance, I like to diversify activities to engage learners by incorporating visual materials, music, videos, and opportunities for students to interact with others. It is also my goal for learners to see and use the target language beyond the classroom. I try to make it possible for them to hear from and communicate with native speakers through reading, speaking, listening, and writing.

Interaction with students inside and outside the classroom helps with the teacher-student dynamic, I’m always receptive to their feedback on the classes and the materials I provide (multimedia, readings, etc.), by understanding their concerns, and answer their questions, so I can give them the tools so they can become active learners, further develop their goals, and succeed in learning a second language.

I feel like sometimes teachers are expected to have all the knowledge about the topic they teach, but students can be teachers too. I think is wonderful how we never stop learning from each other through different experiences, points of view, and mistakes. Sometimes we make mistakes, but it is important that we recognize them and learn from them.

Learning a language goes beyond the grammatical aspects of it, culture and diversity are tied to language learning, that’s why it’s important that when students are learning a new language, they get involved with culture and traditions, so they can understand how to interact with a native speaker, how they can use a word, some general knowledge about the globalized world that we live on.

I believe that language is the vehicle that allows us to teach, learn, and improve the lives of people and communities, and positively impact global development. Therefore, I want their language acquisition journey to be a long-lasting opportunity to grow, and I see myself as a critical figure in that goal.