DO YOU HAVE A TEACHING PHILOSOPHY? PART ONE

My students (I hope) realize that I take teaching very seriously.  As a result, they often talk with me about teaching or share some of their ideas on the subject.  A couple of weeks ago, a student who had been in my class here at the University of Richmond a few years ago sent me an email.  He said that one of his current teachers had shared a website with the class created by one of her teachers. My former student simply said that he thought I would find the website interesting. 

I was intrigued and followed up.  What I found was fascinating.  I am so glad that I was led to this site.  It is inspirational.  I wish I were as creative and organized in my work.  The website is the creation of Aswath Damodaran, Professor of Finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University.  Here is the URL.  I hope you will click on the link and enjoy.  This site is clearly the work of a dedicated and thoughtful college professor. 

 http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/

One of the first things that caught my attention was Dr. Damodaran’s teaching philosophy.  I have always been hesitant about putting out a teaching philosophy for public consumption because my philosophy seems to change a lot over time and even seems to change according to the individual student.  On this blog, I have written approximately 300 essays on teaching, yet I have rarely talked at all about a personal teaching philosophy. 

Nevertheless, as I read Dr. Damodaran’s words, I was struck by how much I agreed with his thoughts.  Time after time, I found myself mumbling agreement, “Yeah, that is exactly what I believe as well.”  I found his words comforting and supportive – he verbalized what (for the most part) is in my mind about teaching.  I especially liked the sentence, “There is nothing else I would rather do than be in front of a classroom, teaching a topic that I enjoy, trying to alter the way people think and act.”

 “Trying to alter the way people think and act.”  Good stuff. 

Because I appreciated his thoughts so much, I asked him if he would mind my sharing them on this blog and he graciously agreed. 

Below is the teaching philosophy of Aswath Damodaran.  If you are looking for a teacher as a role model, his words certainly seem to provide excellent guidance for all of us. 

I was so inspired that, in my next blog posting, I am going to, once and for all, write out my own teaching philosophy.  After 300 essays on teaching, it is time to be brave and develop my own teaching philosophy.  I am not sure what I will choose to say (I might simply copy the words of Dr. Damodaran) but I am challenging myself to make a decision.  You might make the same promise to yourself.  What is your teaching philosophy?

Now, from Dr. Aswath Damodaran:

This may sound like a cliché, but I love teaching. There is nothing else I would rather do than be in front of a classroom, teaching a topic that I enjoy, trying to alter the way people think and act. Here are some of the core beliefs that I try to stay true to (but sometimes fail to):

1.    Preparation is key: Paraphrasing Edison, teaching is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. If you are prepared for your class, you are well on your way to being a good teacher.

2.    Respect your students: I did not care for those teachers that I had, when I was a student, that looked down on their students, either as being less learned than they were or less motivated. I believe that anyone who sits on my classroom is as capable as I am, though perhaps not as experienced, and is passionate about learning.

3.    Be fair: I don't believe that students dislike or punish tough teachers, but I do believe that they dislike and punish teachers who are unfair, either in the way they test students or in the way they grade them. I know that I will make mistakes, but as long as I keep an open door and correct my mistakes, I think that students will cut me some slack.

4.    Have empathy: It has been a long time since I was a student in a classroom, but I try to keep my memory fresh by remembering the things I liked and disliked in my classes and trying not to repeat them.

5.    Teaching is not just in the classroom: Your impact on students does not come just from what you do in the classroom. It is affected just as much but what you do outside the classroom, in your office hours and in your interactions (online and in person) with your students.

6.    Have fun: If you look at the joy that young children show when they learn something new, it is obvious that human beings enjoy learning (though our education systems are often designed to stamp out that joy). I want my classes to be meaningful, impactful and profound, but I also want them to be fun. For that to happen, I have to have fun teaching and I will!

***

I could not have said it better myself.