My Teaching Philosophy
Being a teacher has been one of the most fulfilling careers I have ever had. Here's why:
Why New York City?
I want to teach in New York City because there is a huge population of students, which allows me to impact the lives of many people. The type of school community I am looking for has a school that is invested in the education of their students, parents who are a part of their children’s learning journey and teachers who are passionate about their content they teach.
My Skillset
While in college, I was asked to tutor organic chemistry by the Science Department Head, which was very helpful in trying to find ways to differentiate the material, even if I had no formal teaching experience. I have also worked as a research assistant at Columbia University, so I have skills in conducting, analyzing and compiling data-driven experiments. With that experience in the lab I have excellent conceptual and procedural knowledge of experimentation as well as the content the experiments cover.
Why Earth Science?
I prefer to teach earth science to high school students because this subject is one that affects students’ lives every day. I feel that being able to explain even the most mundane phenomena, such as why the wind blows or what the moon looks like at night causes living one’s life to be filled with wonder and awe at the amazing experiences we all have.
Why I'm a Great Fit
I have spent 10 years in the military, traveled to many different countries and experienced many different cultures during my military career, which helps me make connections with students who are immigrants. I feel that making connections with students forges a trusting relationship which helps me as a teacher due to students knowing that I care about their success, which allows students to be willing to ask for help, make mistakes, and know that I am there to support their efforts. I also love to learn as much as I love to teach, which shows students that I am interested in what they like, and I try to incorporate their personal experiences in my pedagogy in order to effectively differentiate the course material to make it more accessible and understandable.