My evolution as a teacher has been an exciting journey. With academic degrees from four countries and diverse teaching experiences, I have changed my teaching methodology perspectives. My conservative ideologies have evolved into liberal. I reflect on the changes in me as an educator by focusing mainly on the professional experience that shaped me as an educator or improved my teaching style.
Besides teaching, teachers’ impact extends far beyond the classroom. As a teacher, I wanted to more: I want to be a mentor, a confidant, and a friend. I also intend to make a difference in the lives of as many students as I can. Taylor Mali, a renowned poet, illustrates this in his poem, “What Teachers Make.” He writes, “I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could, I make a C+ feel like a congressional medal of honour, I make an A- feel like a slap in the face … I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be … I make a difference.”
Teachers can interact with students at all stages of development and from all walks of life. A great teacher helps students shape the person they will ultimately become. Becoming a teacher lets me impart life lessons that they will never forget; I can influence and help with their decisions, behaviours, strengths, weaknesses, and imaginations. Essentially, becoming a teacher allows me to shape the next generation. I felt that the invitation to teach computers just after high school graduation was my call to follow my dream to be a teacher and a change-maker. Overall, I have over twenty years of experience as an educator.
Since I was influenced by the banking system while growing up, I considered it the best methodology. I preferred lecturing. I expected students to remember what they were taught. I dictated notes and answers to preset questions for final exams and rarely engaged in discussions in class. Now looking back, it was not me. Still, the education system was designed so that I was hardly allowed to introduce innovation and creativity in the curriculum.
My attitudes towards education dramatically changed only after working in Africa, where I sometimes volunteered to teach high school. Besides the flawed education system, the poor students also fall victim to lifestyle and health issues that hinder their learning ability. I noticed that poverty and its many disadvantages could handicap learners before they even begin school and lead them to fall behind classmates or quit school in frustration. The experiences in Nepal and India further reinforced my belief in the detrimental effects of socioeconomic status on education.
My approach to adult learning affected my present teaching method. I could no longer rely on the banking system but rather a problem-posing methodology. Paulo Freire proposes problem-posing education as a successful alternative to traditional education. He further states that problem-posing education is structured to encourage thinking in students. In this form of education, the teacher and the student enter into a partnership and join in a dialogue. They jointly come to conclusions about problems. The teacher must not predetermine the solutions but instead must be reached together during dialogue. The teacher and students learn from each other.
I found that the problem-posing model engages students and teachers to work together in communicating and learning information. Both sides present their opinion so that there are multiple perspectives. The students are taught to change the world instead of having to change for the world. The teacher is also learning, and the students are teaching each other. Classrooms are more engaging, and students are taught to think critically and evaluate. This system helps students find their creativity and helps lead them to their success. Students are not just restating information but creating arguments and oppositions. It gives students the skill they need to know to differentiate them from other students. This method made a comfortable and entertaining way of learning. And I have evolved from a teacher to a life-long learner.
Thinking Out Loud 