an instructor's statement of purpose:
my teaching philosophy

Growing up, it always fascinated me to hear other kids talk about what they wanted to be when they got older—veterinarians, doctors, pilots, teachers, etc. I never understood why some wanted to be teachers; even as a child, I was too impatient to fathom how anyone could have the patience to teach.

I spent my summers during college tutoring math at my high school. To be honest, I think I might have been a poor tutor at first. Over time, I began to enjoy it. Being able to break down complicated mathematic principles and to see the light bulb behind a student’s eyes come to life when they finally understood something felt immensely gratifying. But since I was an English major who loathed being asked if I wanted to become a teacher, I dismissed my ability to tutor, despite how much I enjoyed it.

connecting the dots

I later secured an internship in my university writing center as a junior in college. There, I loved tutoring because I finally had the opportunity to share what I was most passionate about: writing. Even still, I wrote off the prospect of teaching professionally, although in the back of my mind, I often envisioned myself as an English professor. I couldn’t deny that I loved sharing my love for writing with others. After I graduated college, I thought about the English professors I’d had, many of whom I became close with and trusted as mentors. Then, I began to see myself as a teacher: the kind of instructor that a student knew they could come to for advice because that’s what my best professors were for me.

core philosophies

As I’ve grown into my identity as a writer, I’ve found that on a basic level, the primary reason I write is to learn, and much of my writing is motivated by social issues and topics in pop culture. As a journalism minor, my writing classes taught me to always provide my reader with enough information to arrive at their own conclusion about the subject at hand. This was a practice I took to heart, but it taught me how to think like my reader, consider multiple perspectives on a topic, and question my own long-held beliefs. In turn, I learned how to educate myself on a variety of nuanced topics through the practice of writing. As a teacher of writing, my primary goals are to show my students how to 1) assess what they already know and don't know, 2) think critically before they compose, and of course, 3) be audience-centered.

connecting theory with practice

My instruction as a composition professor is grounded in showing students that every form of composition falls into a genre, no matter how simple or complex. As a self-proclaimed late bloomer of a writer, it took me years to realize that everything we write has its own conventions needed to achieve its rhetorical purpose and reach its intended audience. I came to this realization over time as I adapted my writing to fit the needs of my statement of purpose for grad school, my cover letter, and even my course design. It's important that my students also view their writing as a means of following the rules of genre to achieve maximum rhetorical effectiveness. Regardless of what my students choose to explore in their writing, from me they will learn how to identify rhetorical elements such as context, audience, and purpose to guide their rhetorical endeavors, no matter the subject at hand.

there's no such thing as "no second chances"

As a teacher of writing, part of the job is knowing that many students fear getting a paper back that's dripping red ink. Another part of the job is having an awareness of the fact that some students simply view themselves as "bad" writers and are resigned to that. Other days, being a writing instructor means trying to encourage mere motivation. The bottom line is that as a first year composition instructor specifically, I am the buffer between my students and the rest of their college careers as writers. I am but the first checkpoint along a roadmap of many other English and writing-heavy courses my students will encounter before they enter the workforce.

Not only are my students mostly freshmen, but at this point in time, they are young adults who spent at least half of their high school careers on Zoom amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, as someone who took their freshman English courses not all that long ago, I understand that for my students, I need to be patient, gracious, understanding, and firm. I find myself embodying these characteristics by...

• Utilizing evaluation to identify topics and practices that require revisiting during instruction,

• Offering a prolific amount of extra credit opportunities that will improve students' overall writing abilities,

• Providing revision and extension opportunities on both low- and high-stakes assignments,

and, above all,

• Treating every student as an individual human being that deserves empathy and kindness.

meeting students where they are