Teaching Identity

Teaching Identity


Thinking about Tyson Seburn's perspective, he advised that he didn't consider teaching his profession for a long time at the beginning of his career. This caused him to lack his professional identity. I can strongly relate to this, I didn't expect to fall into teaching as I have. I grew up in a household of teachers, my mother and father were both teachers, my grandfather, my grandmother, my aunt. All teachers. To be honest, it put me off of teaching for a bit, in that I didn't see myself pursuing it as a profession. 

When I was in school, I studied psychology in hopes of one day becoming a therapist. And perhaps this avenue will one day be pursued but for now I've fallen in love with teaching English. I believe I still struggle with a professional identity. I'm only 4 years into my career and still everyday I doubt my confidence as a teacher. I believe if I can accept and modify my identity it will assist me with my teaching philosophies and student-centered approach. 

In the interview for my current job I was asked what my teaching philosophy is. I thought the answer would be simple, I aim for conclusive results in a learner-focused classroom. But how can I apply an identity to this philosophy? How can I combine these two important factors? 

I think it's also important to note, and Seburn touched on this as well, our professional identities are fluid. The way I identify now as a teacher may dramatically change in the coming years of my career. I think one thing that I really struggle with is getting outside 'my bubble.' I have certain resources that I use and teachers that I interact with but I rarely step outside these circles. Creating a PLN helped me see all of the resources that are available to me, I realized that I'm not utilizing all of these resources  to their full extent. 

Overall, I still struggle with determining my teaching identity but I believe this will come with time and I also believe that it will change overtime. I'm curious how I can implement my teaching philosophy and identity together in my classroom. I also think that I can better use my surrounding resources. As I learn more about ESL and gain more teaching experience, I feel that I will learn more about myself not only as an educator but as a person. 

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