My Teaching Philosophy

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My philosophy on teaching is simple. It is based on the pearls of wisdom drawn from life experiences and the lessons that individuals learn throughout their journey. I find it fascinating that out of the estimated seven billion people who live in this world, no one person carries the same exact experience. There is and will always be a personal difference that will warrant the need to connect with other people or lean on someone else’s knowledge. These experiences are key in developing and establishing the professional identity of the counseling student. My goal as a counselor educator is to help students amalgamate life experiences with professional content.

 

In the year 2019, as people were planning weddings, vacations, going to work, and all the other normal activities of daily life, a virus made its debut internationally by contaminating people and severely affecting their lives. The Corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) continued to dominate in the year 2020 by crossing international barriers, spreading worldwide, and resulting in a full pandemic. Many were left in grief, unemployed, homeless, isolated, and the list of unfortunate outcomes continues. Others fared well and continued to live life minimally affected by their surroundings. Although the world is currently managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and recuperating one day at a time, it is safe to say that no one could have anticipated the magnitude of damage that the virus caused. Yet, even with the level of uncertainty that surfaced during that period, people found themselves creating innovative ways to stay connected and survive the profound obstacles present at the time. Countless life experiences and lessons were also drawn from living through that experience regardless of where individuals fell on the spectrum of being affected by the virus. Some learned the lesson of entrepreneurship and assertiveness. Others learned the true definition of resilience and humility. Counseling students can draw from having lived through COVID-19 and other unexpected life experiences to enrich their journey and professional identity.

 

Counseling education students are individuals from all walks of life who come together to study a common subject. They are bound by their common interest in the profession but do not fail to exist within the confines of their own individuality. When I think about counseling students, I consider the single middle-aged mother who sleeps four hours per day to accommodate all the obligations in her life. Opposite from her is the young man who just graduated from a master’s program and continues to benefit from living in his parents’ home. I also think about the outspoken elderly student who is in the middle of a fourth career change and struggles a bit with technology. Opposite is the introverted, technology-savvy student who is excited about embarking on a first career. All of these students present with rich cultural backgrounds and personal life experiences that contribute to who they are as individuals. Those experiences will help them conceptualize content through their individual lenses and approach the profession in their respective ways. Such is the process of professional identity and enrichment.

 

My hope as a counselor educator is to invest time and effort into each student for the purpose of helping them appreciate their background, culture, and life experiences. I hope to help the single mother draw on her resilience and strength to motivate others to do the same. I also want the young man who is benefiting from living in his parent’s home to take full advantage of being able to focus on his career and consider viable options for the future. I want to motivate the elderly student in his fourth career to strategize how to utilize skills from previous vocations in counselor education. I also look forward to helping the introverted technology savvy student publish research and build a platform where opinions can be voiced without needing to talk with anyone. The very thought of investing in my students is exciting. I look forward to evolving as a counselor educator and helping my students realize just how wonderful they already are.