In this post, I will be answering a series of questions posed by my instructor that will help me understand my teacher identity as well as my worldview better. Enjoy!

Teacher Identity Questions:

1.) What does it mean to be “effective”?

• To me, being effective is reaching a goal or desired result in a short/specific amount of time

2.) What characteristics does an effective teacher have?

• I think there are many different ways to be an effective teacher and each teacher will have their own way. There is not one specific quality that makes one effective vs not. An effective teacher in my opinion is one that can connect with students quickly, and maintain a learning environment where everyone can maximize their learning. Qualities that can help with this could be; communication skills, work ethic, passion for what they teach, rules/expectations, quick thinking (problem solving), and a willingness to learn/preparation.

3.) What kind of teacher do I want to become?

• I want to be a teacher that makes students and colleagues feel comfortable and confident. I had many amazing role models in my life and I would love to be able to be that person for someone else. Connection is so important to me and is something I believe everyone can work on.

4.) What do I need to learn to become an effective teacher?

• Every conversation and experience with another person shapes what I think is helping me become an effective teacher. Each conversation can be a learning opportunity where I can grow into the effective teacher I want to be. By keeping an open mind and learning from my mistakes I can figure out how to get to where I want to be.

5.) What are my beliefs about teaching (philosophy)?

• My teaching philosophy is constantly evolving with the more I learn, but as of now, I think that all students deserve a safe, engaging environment where they feel welcomed and valued. Within the environment, students should feel comfortable to take risks and use mistakes as learning opportunities. That last part should always be modelled by the teacher. It is okay to make mistakes and is often encouraged if it promotes critical thinking, imagination, or problem solving skills.

Worldview Reflection Questions:

1.) What is a worldview?

• A worldview is a persons set of beliefs/values that influence what and how a person thinks, does, and knows.

2.) How would you describe your worldview?

• In my life, I grew up in a very close, loving, fortunate family. I was able to try lots of different things and experience many places and values. what I hold close to my heart and what I value is family, friends, good health, and trust/respect. Trust to me is the most important thing. After researching my values and looking deeper into worldviews over the past couple weeks, I believe my worldview could be classified as “Humanism.” This means that I see the world as a natural place where we need science and reasoning to understand reality. I find meaning and morality in empathy and working together to improve life. I truly believe all people are “good” in nature but we do bad things because we have to in order to survive. Everyone has a reason for all actions and everything happens for a reason.

3.) While thinking about your own worldview, also consider the impacts of your ethnocultural, socioeconomic, geopolitical, and spiritual identities.

• I have been very fortunate throughout my life and have had many opportunities for travel, events, and partaking in activities. I am a white male who has grown up in a middle class family in Canada. That alone comes with its own privilege that I am aware of. I try to learn as much as possible so I can use my privilege in a way that can hopefully give back to the world and support all people regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, class, or education. We are all doing our best.

4.) Why, as a teacher, is it important to be aware of your own world view, as well as those of your students school community?

• Its super important as a teacher to be aware of our worldviews and our school communities because I do not want to impose my own worldview on another. Every person has their own views and I do not want students to think there is only one right way to think. Staying as neutral as possible and having tough conversations/answering tough questions in the most respectful way is always how I want to go about it. I will not pretend to know something that I do not and want all learners to be able to think for themselves and believe what they want as long as it does not harm another. I want my students to believe what they want to and not feel like they are judged because we do not agree. By learning others perspectives we can choose what we want to believe or not. Everyone can learn something from any person, however, respect plays a big role in this. Without it, it becomes an argument, not a learning opportunity.

5.) What can you do, as a teacher, to ensure that your worldview does not impede the success of the diversity of learners in your classroom?

• As a teacher I want to explain that everyone has their own values and beliefs and that it is okay to have different values or beliefs than everyone else. By learning about different cultures, perspectives and ethnicities, this can open the floor for students and teachers to learn together in a respectful way where students people can develop their own worldview that is not just biased towards how I see the world.

6.) When do you consider it to be necessary to challenge the western worldview as it impacts the K-12 education system?

• I would be open to challenge any education system, western or not, when it isn’t in the best interest of kids. After my experience teaching in Tanzania, I realized how fortunate we are here to have what we do. Last year in my social studies course, I learned that lots of news is heavily influenced by a narrative that will boost publicity, exposure, and revenue. Whatever they wanted to show, in whatever capacity and wording that may be, could drastically change the audience’s feeling towards it. If the education system is using western ideals to influence learning and control the outcome, I think it is necessary to challenge where it comes from and how can we teach it in a better, more respectful way that will make learners ask questions and research their own thoughts.

7.) What aspects of the BC curriculum reinforce or challenge a western worldview?

• The BC curriculum reinforces the western worldview from the learning standards and assessment strategies. By making our own lessons and doing our own research we can make our guiding light geared towards learners and make the education system better for all parties.