Today’s teaching does not only involve reading lectures to passive students. I view teaching as an excellent way to communicate with students and discover something new for myself. From my personal experience, I can say that students’ motivation often depends on their teacher. A teacher is a leader who can facilitate discussions, engage students academically and empower their creativity by providing choices, instead of strict guidelines. In my opinion, a teacher should take into consideration the individuality of each student, appreciate their effort and contribution, and treat everyone equally. Currently, I teach African History, and my philosophy is to ensure that students use their own critical and analytical skills to understand and evaluate different historical events. I believe that this skill is essential beyond learning history in the class settings because students can grow to be rational adults in the future. One of the primary skills of any teacher should be the ability to present information creatively and engagingly. In my classes, I try to create an interactive environment for learning. For instance, instead of conducting an exam, I divide the class into groups, and we play jeopardy about African history. This activity instantly creates excitement, competitiveness in students as well as enhances their knowledge and improves memory. Another interactive activity is conducting debates: students are encouraged to analyze and justify their opinion and develop verbal communication skills.
In conclusion, I believe a teacher is someone who can motivate students to reveal their talents and creativity; someone who treats everyone equally; someone whose priority is to encourage the personal growth of students during the learning process; someone whom students follow, and admire for professionalism, knowledge.