Deartra D. Boone, Professor

Philosophy Of Teaching

I have been writer since I wrote my first poem at the age of nine for an Easter program. I discovered that I had a talent for capturing an audience when I was in high school in a Creative Writing class when I was the only student who the class and the teacher paid attention to as I presented my story out loud. These two events sealed my love of writing. In college, I discovered that I liked helping students with their writing assignments. It was then that I realized that I liked to see students grow and achieve personal writing goals that they set for themselves. I discovered that I liked to see a student discover that they could express themselves effectively and discover that they were a writer. This is why I want to teach English.

I want my students to know that I am a writer and that they are being taught by a writer. I want my students to know that I struggle at times with writing and that I have had to work my way through a writing task. I want them to know that I get writer’s block, don’t feel like writing at times, and sometimes dislike the writing tasks that I have been assigned. Most importantly, I want to teach my students that they can be better writers by writing more. I feel that if your students know that you have experienced what they are experiencing, then they will believe in you more and be more willing to hear what you have to say.

I was a pre-k teacher in the Lewisville ISD. One of the most important things I tried to do with my students was to encourage them to try new things, whether it was learning a new letter, using a color other than their favorite color, or playing in a different center. As the students tried new things, I was able to teach them a new skill or lesson. The greatest joy that I had was when they realized that they had learned something new or accomplished something that they did not think they could do. This is what I want to accomplish as an English teacher, encouraging students to try new things and discover that they learned a new writing skill in the process.

I would like to for students to learn how to be active readers and critical thinkers. I would also like them to learn to be better writers who can reflect on a topic, research a topic, plan, structure, and outline an essay, report, or creative writing assignment, then draft, revise, and edit their writing, effectively.

In order to be a better writer, you must be a reader. Reading effects writing and writing effects reading. When a student reads significantly, they become better writers. Reading a variety of genres helps students learn writing structure and language that they can use in their own writings. Writing essays, reports, or other assignments is what a college student will be doing for the rest of their college career as well as most of their professional careers and I will be laying a foundation for their future in my class, so it is important that I show them how to be better writers through teaching them skills they will be able to use for the rest of their lives.

These objectives basically remain the same for all courses that I teach. For varying levels of writing courses or backgrounds of the students, I would change the teaching methods I use to best suit the class, for example, in a junior or senior class, they may not need as much instruction on how to research a topic, so I would not teach as much on this subject as I would in a freshman or sophomore class.

While most students may never develop a love of writing like I have, I hope that when they leave my class, they have developed and refined their writing skills and style. I want my students to develop a love to discover new things, ideas, and facts; and then develop a desire to share these discoveries and ideas with others through writing. I also want them to gain a fundamental understanding of writing and grammar concepts and how to use these in their writing.

I use lectures, group discussions, and peer reviews in the classroom. By working together, students will learn from me and each other and see the value of their opinions to others. I use a variety of assignments and assessments to help students become better writers. Some assignments I use are Literacy/Personal Narratives, essays, journals, and grammar exercises. Some assessment tools I use are grading rubrics, peer review, and writing checklists.

I know that students learn differently. I encourage students to ask for help if they need it and I also suggest that the students use the university writing center. I also suggest extra credit assignments for students who need extra help with a subject or skill. I am always available for one-on-one conferences if the students need them.

I realize that most students these days are computer savvy. I use a variety of technologies in my classes. I use PowerPoint presentations, applications such as Blogger, discussion boards, video presentations, and technologies offered by the university. I ask my students for their opinions on the course, the materials used, and what helped them the most through a form in order to get feedback regarding the course and my teaching of the course.