Who Am I? Video
Movie Clips
Beginning with the Sound of Music clip, I would like to address how Maria utilized song to teach a musical skill. She understands that her students are of varying ages and having them learn through song is a good way to engage with them. They can all understand and respond to song and they are all interested in learning by this method. In the second clip Robin's choice to teach his friends about rental property shows a lack of caring about his audience when considering a subject to teach. He himself considers it a boring subject and makes little to no effort to rectify this when bringing it up with his friends. Why he thought rental property was something relevant to his supernatural teenage friends is beyond me. In the end it only demonstrates his rather thoughtless teaching both in his topic of choice and how he went about explaining it.
Teacher Interview
Teacher Interview Transcripts
Me: To start off I’d just like to that you for taking the time to do this with me. I know you’re busy. It seems like everyone’s busy right now.
The First thing I’d like to ask is how supportive were your family and friends for your choice of going into philosophy at University?
Teacher: They were not very supportive at all. They didn’t know what kind of job I’d be able to get with a philosophy degree.
Me: It seems like that’s a concern a lot of times in philosophy that some think it’s a dead science. So can you tell me a bit more about why you decided to go into philosophy?
Teacher: Well I was always interested in philosophy when I was in high school and even when I was younger; as young as grade 6, so when I had the opportunity first year university to take a course I did and absolutely loved it. I found it kind of easy; it was something I was good at. I might as well keep taking it and by 3rd year I decided I might as well get my honours degree in philosophy since it was something I was taking so much anyway.
Me: And then did you have friends you found taking those courses that were supportive?
Teacher: I made friends in the program yes. It was a very small program at the time so there was just a small group of us. We spent time together and had philosophical discussions but outside of that not much.
Me: So how did you move from philosophy to teaching?
Teacher: When I finished my degree I had to find a job so I thought teacher’s college would be a good choice and once I started teaching I absolutely loved it.
Me: Is that something that came easy to you. Like did you have prior experience teaching?
Teacher: I always ran summer camps
Me: And you enjoyed that then?
Teacher: I very much enjoyed that. I did that since I was 15 right until I finished teacher’s college.
Me: So from the time you started teaching has your method for teaching changed?
Teacher: Immensely, yes. As technology has changed teaching has changed. Currently I’m teaching completely paperless. Everything’s all online. Everything is on powerpoint and everything is submitted online. All of the videos are integrated all of the work is done using some form of technology.
Me: Do you find that the students respond well to that?
Teacher: Most students respond well, but some prefer pen and paper, so I have to find a balance. That’s something I’m currently working on. When I went paperless I realized it wasn’t working for some students so I’m trying to give students the opportunity to let them copy notes down while leaving my stuff available online.
Me: Are there any other challenges that may have occurred for some students?
Teacher: As a result of the technology? Availability is always an issue I have to deal with. Some students have 24/7 access and some don’t so I have to remember some students won’t have access to the supplies I’m putting up.
Me: So what are some ways you’ve tried to get around that?
Teacher: I make sure I book devices in class for those who don’t have access and I make sure we have a lot of class time to do anything that’s necessary online. Everything I do is also printable.
Me: Are there any other challenges you face while teaching?
Teacher: There’s always attendance. You can’t teach students that don’t show up. Also students not handing in work within reasonable time.
Me: Do you find that students sometimes have misconceptions about some of the courses you teach?
Teacher: Sometimes not just the students have misconceptions about the courses but I find that guidance counselors have misconceptions about what the courses are about. When a student asks them what they do in philosophy class the guidance counselors often don’t know. Philosophy isn’t a fit for everyone. With the other social science classes I generally find that people really enjoy them and the interest is usually there.
Me: What do you think are the most rewarding or enjoyable experiences you’ve had while teaching?
Teacher: Some of the most rewarding experiences are having students you think aren’t having academic success, and then when they find the right subject they realize how strong they are and they do have success. And then they take that and put it in other courses and within their lives.
Me: Do you think that’s a challenge with the school system then? That they don’t always present subjects that are interesting to the students and that they can do a better job with that.
Teacher: I think it is a challenge. However some subjects students just have to learn. For me I struggled in math but that’s a subject you just have to take. But then students have that feeling of failure which is difficult so we need to find ways around that. Also it depends on the size of the school. So what elective courses we can offer. This school has gone from 2000 to just over 1000 students over the years. Now students have far fewer options in what they can take. Students don’t have the option all the time to take what they’re interested in.
Me: One thing that really interested me is that you mentioned this fear of failure. Do you think that is a result of the subject itself not being interesting or because the way the subject is taught?
Teacher: Definitely. I think all students learn in different ways and teachers teach in different ways. Teachers will gravitate toward teaching how they learn. It’s a challenge and we try to have that variety of methods. It’s difficult to address all types of learners and the tendency to teach how you learn is hard to move away from. In some subject areas that’s easier. For something like math it’s harder to adapt to different people’s ways of learning.
Me: So what has your experience been like working with peers? Other teachers?
Teacher: Generally it’s been good. Some I’ve been able to co-teach with. But, there’s also some challenges sometimes. People not agreeing with how things should be taught or what should be taught.
Me: Would they have input on how you teach then?
Teacher: Sometimes, but it really depends on administration and how they view how the school should be run. In a subject area administration will think that every student in grade 10 history for example has to have the exact same lesson. While in other areas there’s more freedom. Figuring out how something should be taught, how much time needs to be spent into each area can be a struggle when deliberating amongst a group of people.
Me: So then it comes top down in terms of the material you have to teach and the way you have to teach?
Teacher: It can
Me: What has that been like?
Teacher: I’ve generally avoided that. Often classes I teach, I’m the only one teaching the course. So I’ve had very little experience where I have to create lessons with someone. I’ve also been in departments that are very open and flexible as to what goes on in each person’s classroom.
Me: Now I’d just like to ask if there’s anything else you’d like to discuss.
Teacher: Overall if you like teenagers and you like knowledge then it’s an amazing job. The time flies and if you enjoy teaching it’s a great experience. You do have to put in a lot of extra time so you have to really enjoy the work for it to be fulfilling.
Me: Is there anything you need to consider with teenagers than any other age group?
Teacher: The reason I chose to work with teenagers even though I ran summer camps with small children for so many years is you can have dialogue. There can be discussion that challenges me sometimes. I like to learn new things from my students.
Me: OK thanks for taking the time to do this.
Teacher: You’re welcome
Me: To start off I’d just like to that you for taking the time to do this with me. I know you’re busy. It seems like everyone’s busy right now.
The First thing I’d like to ask is how supportive were your family and friends for your choice of going into philosophy at University?
Teacher: They were not very supportive at all. They didn’t know what kind of job I’d be able to get with a philosophy degree.
Me: It seems like that’s a concern a lot of times in philosophy that some think it’s a dead science. So can you tell me a bit more about why you decided to go into philosophy?
Teacher: Well I was always interested in philosophy when I was in high school and even when I was younger; as young as grade 6, so when I had the opportunity first year university to take a course I did and absolutely loved it. I found it kind of easy; it was something I was good at. I might as well keep taking it and by 3rd year I decided I might as well get my honours degree in philosophy since it was something I was taking so much anyway.
Me: And then did you have friends you found taking those courses that were supportive?
Teacher: I made friends in the program yes. It was a very small program at the time so there was just a small group of us. We spent time together and had philosophical discussions but outside of that not much.
Me: So how did you move from philosophy to teaching?
Teacher: When I finished my degree I had to find a job so I thought teacher’s college would be a good choice and once I started teaching I absolutely loved it.
Me: Is that something that came easy to you. Like did you have prior experience teaching?
Teacher: I always ran summer camps
Me: And you enjoyed that then?
Teacher: I very much enjoyed that. I did that since I was 15 right until I finished teacher’s college.
Me: So from the time you started teaching has your method for teaching changed?
Teacher: Immensely, yes. As technology has changed teaching has changed. Currently I’m teaching completely paperless. Everything’s all online. Everything is on powerpoint and everything is submitted online. All of the videos are integrated all of the work is done using some form of technology.
Me: Do you find that the students respond well to that?
Teacher: Most students respond well, but some prefer pen and paper, so I have to find a balance. That’s something I’m currently working on. When I went paperless I realized it wasn’t working for some students so I’m trying to give students the opportunity to let them copy notes down while leaving my stuff available online.
Me: Are there any other challenges that may have occurred for some students?
Teacher: As a result of the technology? Availability is always an issue I have to deal with. Some students have 24/7 access and some don’t so I have to remember some students won’t have access to the supplies I’m putting up.
Me: So what are some ways you’ve tried to get around that?
Teacher: I make sure I book devices in class for those who don’t have access and I make sure we have a lot of class time to do anything that’s necessary online. Everything I do is also printable.
Me: Are there any other challenges you face while teaching?
Teacher: There’s always attendance. You can’t teach students that don’t show up. Also students not handing in work within reasonable time.
Me: Do you find that students sometimes have misconceptions about some of the courses you teach?
Teacher: Sometimes not just the students have misconceptions about the courses but I find that guidance counselors have misconceptions about what the courses are about. When a student asks them what they do in philosophy class the guidance counselors often don’t know. Philosophy isn’t a fit for everyone. With the other social science classes I generally find that people really enjoy them and the interest is usually there.
Me: What do you think are the most rewarding or enjoyable experiences you’ve had while teaching?
Teacher: Some of the most rewarding experiences are having students you think aren’t having academic success, and then when they find the right subject they realize how strong they are and they do have success. And then they take that and put it in other courses and within their lives.
Me: Do you think that’s a challenge with the school system then? That they don’t always present subjects that are interesting to the students and that they can do a better job with that.
Teacher: I think it is a challenge. However some subjects students just have to learn. For me I struggled in math but that’s a subject you just have to take. But then students have that feeling of failure which is difficult so we need to find ways around that. Also it depends on the size of the school. So what elective courses we can offer. This school has gone from 2000 to just over 1000 students over the years. Now students have far fewer options in what they can take. Students don’t have the option all the time to take what they’re interested in.
Me: One thing that really interested me is that you mentioned this fear of failure. Do you think that is a result of the subject itself not being interesting or because the way the subject is taught?
Teacher: Definitely. I think all students learn in different ways and teachers teach in different ways. Teachers will gravitate toward teaching how they learn. It’s a challenge and we try to have that variety of methods. It’s difficult to address all types of learners and the tendency to teach how you learn is hard to move away from. In some subject areas that’s easier. For something like math it’s harder to adapt to different people’s ways of learning.
Me: So what has your experience been like working with peers? Other teachers?
Teacher: Generally it’s been good. Some I’ve been able to co-teach with. But, there’s also some challenges sometimes. People not agreeing with how things should be taught or what should be taught.
Me: Would they have input on how you teach then?
Teacher: Sometimes, but it really depends on administration and how they view how the school should be run. In a subject area administration will think that every student in grade 10 history for example has to have the exact same lesson. While in other areas there’s more freedom. Figuring out how something should be taught, how much time needs to be spent into each area can be a struggle when deliberating amongst a group of people.
Me: So then it comes top down in terms of the material you have to teach and the way you have to teach?
Teacher: It can
Me: What has that been like?
Teacher: I’ve generally avoided that. Often classes I teach, I’m the only one teaching the course. So I’ve had very little experience where I have to create lessons with someone. I’ve also been in departments that are very open and flexible as to what goes on in each person’s classroom.
Me: Now I’d just like to ask if there’s anything else you’d like to discuss.
Teacher: Overall if you like teenagers and you like knowledge then it’s an amazing job. The time flies and if you enjoy teaching it’s a great experience. You do have to put in a lot of extra time so you have to really enjoy the work for it to be fulfilling.
Me: Is there anything you need to consider with teenagers than any other age group?
Teacher: The reason I chose to work with teenagers even though I ran summer camps with small children for so many years is you can have dialogue. There can be discussion that challenges me sometimes. I like to learn new things from my students.
Me: OK thanks for taking the time to do this.
Teacher: You’re welcome
Teacher Interview Reflection
The teacher I chose to interview taught me a general philosophy course as well as a social science course entitled challenge and change (focusing on modern social issues). One reason I wanted to interview her was because I liked the structure of the courses she taught, and I wanted to gain insight as to some of the challenges that might come up when teaching in a more discussion based course. Something that interested me was that all of the challenges she mentioned were external. Administration, accesses to technology and student work ethic are all external obstacles to overcome. This makes me think that if you have the right mindset and passion for work as a teacher, individual student needs and student learning are processes that naturally fall into place. That is to say, challenges for her lie outside of teaching the students. This is very meaningful for me since these were the challenges I worry most about when considering the prospect of teaching. It’s comforting to know that they’re not ones that come up, at least to the forefront for the teacher I interviewed. A connection to philosophy that music shares is a cultural dismissal as a profitable field of study. It seems that for both music and philosophy many people consider them to be dead ends in terms of providing job opportunities. As a result family and friend support for pursuit in these fields can be rather low. It’s inspiring to me that she still found success and support within the faculty from peers and was content with her choice to continue on in the field she enjoyed.
The teacher I chose to interview taught me a general philosophy course as well as a social science course entitled challenge and change (focusing on modern social issues). One reason I wanted to interview her was because I liked the structure of the courses she taught, and I wanted to gain insight as to some of the challenges that might come up when teaching in a more discussion based course. Something that interested me was that all of the challenges she mentioned were external. Administration, accesses to technology and student work ethic are all external obstacles to overcome. This makes me think that if you have the right mindset and passion for work as a teacher, individual student needs and student learning are processes that naturally fall into place. That is to say, challenges for her lie outside of teaching the students. This is very meaningful for me since these were the challenges I worry most about when considering the prospect of teaching. It’s comforting to know that they’re not ones that come up, at least to the forefront for the teacher I interviewed. A connection to philosophy that music shares is a cultural dismissal as a profitable field of study. It seems that for both music and philosophy many people consider them to be dead ends in terms of providing job opportunities. As a result family and friend support for pursuit in these fields can be rather low. It’s inspiring to me that she still found success and support within the faculty from peers and was content with her choice to continue on in the field she enjoyed.