I grew up in a family of educators. My parents were both teachers, as were numerous aunts, uncles, and grandparents. This resulted, initially, in two different effects. First that I grew up in a home that placed a very high value on learning and knowledge, and second that I thought I did not want to teach. I wanted to find my own path in life As I grew older I had a very hard time deciding what interested me most. Choosing a major at Emerson College presented difficulty—I felt that I was limiting myself. Eventually I settled on Writing, Literature, and Publishing, not in small part due to the fact that I felt that writing and literature overlay many other topics. It was only after graduating that I realized that my continuous search for learning and my general love of knowledge were the perfect tools for teaching.
As previously mentioned, I love learning. This means that I seek to have an open mind, and never believe that a matter is settled without looking at all information available. This is very useful in the classroom. I expect students to actively search for knowledge, to be engaged in the material, and to constantly question. It also means that I do not feel that my knowledge is necessarily superior to that of my students, only, perhaps, the level of inquiry I have taken to acquire it. This is especially important when teaching in an English classroom, because a big part of the curriculum is reading for understanding and interpretation. Is my interpretation necessarily better than that of my students? It is my belief that it is not innately better, if both interpretations can be backed up with sound reasoning.
Perhaps as a result of examining texts and problems from as many angles as possible, fairness and justice have strong roles in my life. As a result I feel that social justice inquiry is extremely important. Texts can be used to explore social justice ideas, but social justice within the classroom is of extreme importance. It is my belief that we benefit from having a diverse population around us—that we should listen to as many differing views as possible. I have a very open mind, and I expect my students to have open minds as well.
While I do not come from a different culture than that of most United States students, I have explored other cultures as much as possible in my lifetime. One such exploration was my independent study of Balinese culture, specifically the links between music and religion. During this study I was immersed in Balinese culture, at times the only English speaker in the area. I learned many fascinating things about that culture specifically that will help me bring a unique angle of inquiry in the classroom. More importantly, however, I learned the difficulty of accomplishing learning in an environment where there is a language barrier. I also strongly reinforced my view that differences are a resource to be used, rather than merely tolerated.
I hope to be a part of interdisciplinary education. My love of different cultures and the expectations I have of my students fit well into that system. The study of Humanities is of particular interest to me, but my goals are not limited to that area. The most wonderful aspect of teaching English is that it can be done within almost any other context. I would love to be able to teach different sections of English, each with a different focus. For example, one can simultaneously study English and anthropology, or English and drama. This may allow students to develop interest in diverse subject areas. If designing complete courses around these different meldings is not possible, I hope to be able to create a diverse curriculum within each class.
My goals are the result of my strong drive to continue learning, and to share that learning with others. It is this drive that will make me a better teacher, rather than the goals themselves. They are useful by-products of my love of all types of knowledge. I believe my willingness to admit that I do not have all the answers and my urging for inquiry will bring me closer to my students, and increase enthusiasm, effort, and understanding.
