What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that the purpose of education is not only to pass knowledge on to students to help them succeed in their future endeavors, but to also mold students into moral, efficient, and productive citizens of society. Teachers can prepare students for success and citizenry in all content areas, and it is my goal to use Spanish as a vehicle to prepare my students for overall success. I have a passion for the Spanish language that fuels my desire to teach. Being able to speak Spanish has given me the opportunity to converse and relate with a variety of people I would not have been able to connect with before I started my acquisition of the language. It is my ultimate goal to pass on and ignite an intrinsic motivation in as many students as I can to learn Spanish through my enthusiasm and sharing of authentic experiences. I realize that not every student will be motivated to learn Spanish; even so, it is my goal to give all my students the knowledge, opportunities, and confidence needed to build their Spanish skills in order to converse adequately with a Spanish speaker. While research supports that students who begin learning a language at a young age acquire the language faster and understand language concepts more easily, I know that all types of students can learn a language when the right teaching strategies are implemented.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

After introducing myself and getting to know a little bit about the student, in a typical first session with a student, I would first identify what materials the student has available and then review the problem areas to be addressed in the session.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I will help students become independent learners by showing them strategies that will enable them to engage in metacognitive processes about their own learning. I will also show students different ways in which to find answers on their own using a variety of tools related to the material being learned.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I will help my students stay motivated by offering continual encouragement and praise for the learning that they are working hard to accomplish.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

I would provide the student with multiple opportunities to engage in guided practice until he or she feels confident in independently engaging with the skill or concept at hand. Additionally, I would provide support through extra materials such as notes or online practice sites.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

I will help students who are struggling with reading comprehension by reading through material with that student and identifying which vocabulary or grammar concepts need to be focused on in order to improve comprehension. Additionally, I have a variety of reading comprehension strategies (summarizing, anticipating, highlighting, skimming and scanning strategies, etc.) at my disposal that specifically help students to build their reading comprehension.