The Good Man Speaking Well: My Teaching Philosophy

With Quintilian, I believe in “the good man speaking well”. I believe in instilling students with the confidence to express their opinions and question the world around them. And I believe in providing them with the ability to do so effectively.

At the core of my teaching philosophy lies the belief that each student is worthy of being an effective communicator. For some, their first year composition course may be the only writing class they ever take at a college level. Others, however, may go on to major in writing-heavy subjects such as journalism or even English itself. And in between these two extremes are the majority of students, who will navigate courses with varying levels of writing intensiveness before being shot out in the working world, where they will be forced to rely upon clear communication in order to be effective at their respective jobs. I believe that each student, regardless of natural talent, deserves a chance to learn strategies of argument and of crafting the written word. My goal is to help students become people who are able to convey their ideas onto the page, confident in the knowledge that their message will get across as they wish it.

I believe in students who know how to think for themselves. I think that the composition classroom is a place for exploring arguments, and for breaking down the idea that just because a work is considered to be great, or because it was written by someone in authority, it must therefore be flawless. I want to provide students with the tools to analyze, to make an honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses, and so be able to form an educated opinion of their own.

I believe in producing empathetic students. The educated person ought to be able to see things from the perspective of others. For rhetoric to be effective, it must start from some sort of common ground. I believe in teaching students to look beyond themselves in order to be able to entertain the ideas of others and, when necessary, to hold their own against them. I believe that in order for effective discourse to take place we must be willing to listen to the views of others without necessarily changing our own.

I believe in a flexible curriculum that can be changed to fit the need of the students. There is more than one way to communicate a specific point, and I believe in listening to student feedback in order to find the best way for any specific group of students to learn.

I want to help students to view writing, not merely as a tool or as a means to an end, but as an opportunity. I want to help them to understand that the more technical aspects of writing are necessary so that meaning can shine forth unimpeded by obscurity or confusion. I want to help them to love writing, and to see its importance for everyday life and for civilization itself.