“He commanded our fathers to teach their children that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children.”

~ Psalm 78:5-6

 

My goal as a teacher is to prepare the next generation. I aim to instruct and inform my students in a way where they can gain insight and form their own judgments and opinions.  The students' emotional and educational needs are my priority and I strive to create a learning experience where my students feel like they are succeeding. I believe students learn most efficiently when they get to teach the material they are learning, so I often ask students to lead the discussion by asking them for explanations on given topics or concepts. I have three pillars to my teaching:

• Breathe

• Be honest

• Have fun

 

By focusing on the breath, my students are reminded to slow down and not be in a rush. When we shift our brain to think about the breath, I emphasize the process of learning, instead of the end result. 

 

Honesty in the classroom is a vital part of my teaching which promotes self-awareness and healthy learning. I want to know if the students are truly learning and understanding. I want my students to have a safe space where they can share their thoughts and express their opinions on all things. I am a learning educator, so I encourage candor in my teaching style and expect my students to be open and honest with how they are feeling about their learning process. 

 

Research has shown when students are having fun in a classroom, their ability to retain the information increases. Fun in my classroom looks like movement, playing games, and creating new content that contributes to the students’ education and learning success. I will often have my students march around the room or engage their inner child by pretending to be different animals or characters in order for them to release unwanted tension. I had one student who was inhaling on a shallow breath and had a very narrow and strained sound in her vocal production. I asked her to act like a monkey where she was squatting and swaying side to side a little bit, and upon this action, her breath was deeper, her sound and resonance fuller, and she was able to sing a four-bar phrase in one breath. 

 

I teach so that the next generation will have a better understanding of their voice so they can communicate to the best of their ability. I teach to learn alongside my students to form our own opinions and make our own judgements. I teach to encourage the calmness of the breath, sincere honesty, and enjoyable learning experiences. I teach so the next generation can train and inform the next generation. 

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