Teaching Philosophy

I believe my job as a teacher is to create an environment where learning is instinctual.  I want to harbor a creative space that is encouraging of various approaches and learning styles.  Within the creative fields of the film industry, I want my students to have not just the space but also the challenge to push themselves beyond their own perspectives.  I want each student to value each person’s unique life experiences within the classroom and build a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

 

My goal for instruction is for each student to not only learn the latest industry techniques being used in the field but to also encourage each student to practice revising and editing their work. I use hard deadlines on assignments because I believe time management and respect for others is a valuable tool to implement for future work life. However, along with hard deadlines for assignments, I believe in rewarding students for submitting on time by allowing for endless opportunities for improvement to their assignments. I want my students to not get used to a one-and-done approach to their work. In creative fields, we are consistently editing and revising our work to build upon the artistic process. I want my students to start that practice within the classroom.  This approach not only encourages editing of their own work but gives them practice in receiving critique and the actionable implementation of that critique. 

 

I offer my students high standards to meet so they leave my classroom best equipped to navigate their field; combined with positive encouragement stating that there is no such thing as failure, there is just another opportunity to try again.  I do not expect perfection from my students.  I do expect each student to keep trying.

 

My job as a teacher is not only to instruct but to listen to what each student is communicating not just with their words but also with their work.  Then use this knowledge and be flexible to alter my instruction to best suit each student’s learning style.  My goal is to assist each student in building up their unique creative vision for their artistry, not to place them within a molded box of my instruction.  Each student will meet the goals of my class, however, their approaches to meeting those goals may vary.  I love the challenge each new class presents.