Personal Teaching Statement

       My personal teaching statement seems to change in some way with every class I take. A good thing, in my opinion, as it means I am constantly changing or evolving. It is also good for me to recognize these changes as I imagine my students undergo them as well. It is for that reason that a cognitive learning theory appeals to me the most, because I believe that we are ever changing and thus, we must consider how our mental processing works. I am forever fascinated at looking into how a brain is a sort of computer that we must get to know and decode in order for learning to take place. How do we acquire knowledge? How do we process it? How do we organize information? The how's seem an endless stream of questions and I must admit, I love it. 
        Thus, I approach teaching in a similar manner. How will I portray the information I need my students to learn in a way that they will actually master it? I realize that much like computers, students are all different and the way they learn is unique to them. It is a challenge, I am aware, to teach 25 students the same information and have all of them learn it in the same manner; thus, I do not plan to teach that way. The content will be the same, of course, but implementing different approaches that best suit each student is my goal. Although I believe that each student learns differently, that does not mean I expect different quality of work from each of them. My students are expected to give it their all because I hold each of them accountable to a certain level of expectation, one which I know they can achieve. Not understanding the material and not giving it your all are two different things. 
        In summation, my belief regarding teaching is that we must expect the most out of our students while recognizing that they are individuals and as such, their best should not be compared to others.  

It is hard to be a teacher, but it is the most rewarding job.