When reflecting on these years of working as a teacher, there have been so many challenges, so many celebrations, and so much that I have learned. I have been pushed beyond my comfort zone, and I have grown as a teacher immensely.
1 My teaching philosophy
I love learning and discovering new things. I believe that the pursuit of knowledge is the most important and fulfilling human endeavor. This
is also why I have a strong belief in the importance of teaching. Our knowledge and discoveries are only useful as long as they are passed on to the next generation. Over the years, I have come to recognize that a fundamental quality of a good teacher is that the teacher himself is learning as he teaches. He is learning how the students think, what their difficulties are, and how to be a more effective teacher. One might teach the same subject many times and discover new subtleties each time. I never teach a class the same way twice, because I draw on my previous experiences, and make adjustments, such as adding new material or even taking an entirely a new approach.
3 My experience
I've been teaching for almost 15 years. At the beginning I was a Spanish Teacher for Foreigners. The way of thinking about Learning Spanish is completely different from Native Spanish Speakers when they learn English or another language.
13 years ago I started to teach English for Kids, Teenagers and University students. Working with Kids was the most difficult thing for me. I was not prepared to teach at that level, but learned more than I imagined. After kids, I worked with Teenagers & in Private Schools since then. Finally, 5 years ago I decided to work in a Public School for the first time. In Mexico, Public and Private Schools are two worlds apart. Universidad Tecnológica Emiliano Zapata (UTEZ) was such an incredible discovery. I'm still in love with this school and the students.
3 My teaching methods
I love not having a book because I don't have to follow the book word for word; rather, I deliver the information in a consistent way. I found different techniques such as Shadowing Technique (for Listening & Speaking), Flip Flop Classroom (Topics Review), Vocabulary Techniques (Pictionary), IT Platform (Google Classroom, Facebook & Whatsapp), IELTS Topics (Speaking), Grammar Passport (Grammar Review) and many others. I strongly believe that students should not feel intimidated about talking to the professor, and I take pride in fostering an environment in which students are comfortable talking to me about any difficulties they have with the course material. I am a very strong believer in the socratic method. Students understand the solution better if they are able to arrive at it with some guidance; they gain confidence in themselves and start to feel that the material is accessible to them. I have always gone beyond what is expected to help my students reach their goals. I am always very prompt in handling emails from students and make myself as available as reasonably possible to students. I do not turn away students who have questions if I have time to talk to them.
4 My strengths
As an Administrator, I'm very organized . I am able to organize even complex material in a way that students can grasp the topic. I am skilled at breaking complicated concepts into simple examples. I am self-motivated, outgoing, enthusiastic, and a good communicator who can work effectively with minimum supervision.
