My Teaching Philosophy

               I became a New York Fellow because I believe that through the effort of many dedicated and passionate individuals our education system can change. I believe if we provide these students with a quality education, they will strive and achieve beyond their expectations. I joined a movement of providing all students with quality education, a group of educators who want to change the very priorities of our country. 

              I believe that the zip code into which you are born should not determine the course of your life.  This is the “American Dream”—that no matter who you are, or where you come from, your own efforts and merit can propel you into living a prosperous, fulfilling life.  But it seems that for an increasing number of our nation’s children, this dream has become nothing more than just that—an ephemeral notion, attainable for only a select few in a far-off neighborhood where the pantries are always full, the clothes are always new, and bright opportunities abound at every corner.  

              The last two years have been eye opening for me. I have worked at Girls Place Inc. and City Year Miami. These two non-profit organizations have made the crisis of the education system become transparently and incontrovertibly real for me. The statistics about the high dropout rates, the low proficiency in English and Mathematics, and low standards and expectations set for students had been mentioned to me. But now I have attached a face with these statistics. When I hear about another student dropping out, I see one of my College Summit students dropping out of school. One of my Girls Place students not being able to do her spelling or math homework because she doesn’t know phonics nor her multiplication table.  

              I believe I will be an effective teacher because I’ve seen what it takes to be an incredible teacher at a high-need school. In City Year Miami I was placed into an ETO school in a Math classroom. Now working in a high school in the Bronx at a Title three school, I have realized that the education epidemic is not only in schools in Florida. Experiencing different school districts in completely different states has made me more equipped to handle the different education gaps. 

              I’ve experienced firsthand the dedication, passion and hard work it takes to provide these students with excellent education. I have done the groundwork, working one on one with these students, preparing individual lesson plans for each of my intervention students and whole group support. The most important attribute that I have is the unrelenting hope in the future for every student. 

               As an educator, I hope to dramatically impact the lives of my students in the classroom, and give them tools to succeed so they can accomplish anything they desire to do. I would measure my students’ success not only by their test scores, but by those more intangible (and often more abiding) factors such as a passion for knowledge or a life-lesson learned.