CR Junkins

Mission Statement

Why "mission statement"?

Teaching is an action. The verb "to teach" is transitive and takes a direct object, but too often the object is dropped. "I teach." "She teaches." Rather than have a "teaching philosophy," I prefer to make a "mission statement" if only to reinforce the direct objects of teaching. Also, by calling a "teaching philosophy" a "mission statement," I set goals, and I’m able to concentrate my energies on the physical and mental actions of the subjects I teach and on whom I teach.

My objective as an educator is primarily to engage learners with either the content they need to know or skill sets they need to acquire. Secondly, I seek to instill in learners an understanding of the learning process as a whole — of the skill set that structures all classes — mainly, to learn how to learn. Learners who take accountability of their own education paths, who in essence learn how to teach themselves, will be better able to succeed in careers which require constant retooling and refashioning. I teach learners not to endure in a world of change, but to take advantage of ever-changing environments to thrive and compete.

To meet this objective, I focus learners on the critical need to master the skill of writing. I emphasize how essential writing has become, not just for their academic careers, but in current business models especially. The exploitation of intranet delivery of information within corporate, non-profit and civic sectors creates a need for skilled readers and writers. I stress how often employees in all professions find themselves marginalized solely because they lack necessary reading and writing skills.

Secondly, I underscore the belief that writing is a skill, not a gift. Writing does not need to be seen as a luxurious art whose secrets require an essential, inborn talent and a lifetime to master. Writing is an action open to all who seek to communicate clearly, effectively and engagingly.

Lastly, I strive to relieve the frustration of writing so that education is made, not easier or simpler, but effectively delivered. I work to direct student energies toward mastering the skill sets of writing rather than struggling to understand the nature of the course or the demands of an assignment or exercise. I endeavor to provide concise and specific instructions regarding how to meet expectations as well as suggest methods for exceeding those expectations.

Measuring my effectiveness in meeting these objectives is critical. I examine my students' work to discover whether I was able to competently express my expectations. I frequently employ reflection in communicating with students, asking individuals to repeat back to me classroom conversations, exercise requirements, or the parameters of particular assignments. I also request periodic feedback that I tell students helps me

"synchronize" myself to the overall needs of the class.

By setting for myself a "mission statement," I also bolster my self-consciousness as an educator. The term unfortunately suggests an almost industrial production of educating students by filling containers or programming formulaic performances. I disagree. I view teaching as a process of rolling up sleeves, of preparing for labor — hard labor, and of interacting on a practical level with adult learners. People employ educators in order to better themselves, and we as educators must meet them as such, not to give them a degree because of the price they paid, but to give them the action of teaching — to guide them as apprentice practitioners until they, in turn, can take their place as master crafters.

I have left the links to these articles below because others have mentioned they are helpful. In fact, I would encourage people who like me struggled with writing a "teaching philosophy" to check out these three excellent articles that were given out during this summer's workshop.

http://www.writingcenter.emory.edu/teachphil2.html

http://www.writingcenter.emory.edu/philteach1.html

http://chronicle.com/jobs/2003/03/2003032702c.htm

From with the first article, I have compiled these bullet points:

List an objective.

Explain how to achieve that objective.

How do you measure your effectiveness in achieving these objectives.

Why is teaching important to you.

Comments:

CRI like how you stress establishing clear expectations for the students and enabling the students to meet those expectations.

These concepts are similar to one that I learned the first few weeks of teaching. I realized that I had to clearly express the purpose of all activities and assignments; if I didn't provide this direction, the students were "lost," and understandably so. Looking back now, I feel that I had to reinvent the wheel, but learning this concept was necessary.

The links are awfully useful. I also like the bullet points. I don't know if that's the done thing, but at this embryonic stage of all our philosophies it helps me organize the ideas in my own little brain. -Senor Antonio de Matt

CR - I am trying to incorporate the "writing is not a subject, but is in everything" concept and am at a bit of a loss as to how to translate that into practice--maybe attempt to use materials/readings from all (or many) disciplines? But, then, I feel like I am not as familiar with those disciplines, so I would be at a disadvantage. Yet, writing is writing, correct? Insert input here _______. Cameron