I imagine my classroom to be one that is lively and intellectual. As someone with a background in anthropology, I have an interest and passion for culture and would like to convey that through my classroom, both in the layout and through my teaching style. I would prefer a smaller, more intimate setting and would like my class to be led by classroom discussion and debate. I think the best way to do this would be to arrange the classroom so that the desks are in a circle.
My main goal as a teacher is to bring culture to the classroom. Literature is the perfect medium for transmitting cultural and social ideas, which can broaden a student’s learning experience and expose them to concepts that go beyond the classroom. I would like to teach the way that I was taught. In many of the classes where I have been a student, teachers have treated the students as pupils, but also as equals on an intellectual level. I also hope to conduct my classroom as a seminar style college class. I think that this is the most effective way of learning. I hope to one day teach in a classroom that is diverse so we can share multiple real life perspectives. In addition to teaching from the conventional literary canon, I would like to be able to use literary materials that are diverse and can relate to students on a personal level. Although it still holds significance, I hope to demonstrate to students that English class goes beyond studying Shakespeare and Dickens.
As an English teacher, I also think it is important to not only teach students about literature and how to read and analyze text, but it is important to teach about the English language and language itself; how language works on a social and cultural level, syntactic level, and historical level. Having some background knowledge of linguistics will be something that is beneficial when comes to teaching English. I believe that I did not gain enough of this knowledge in high school, and it is something that is important. I think these aspects will help to cultivate students that can think critically, not just about literary texts, but about culture and the way that it can relate to literature.
