Teaching Statement
“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way"
Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull
One of my favorite children book was Jonathan Livingston as a gift of finishing 5th grade with merit, from my dad who is also an educator. It still holds a privilege in my life experiences. I used this quote as one of basis of my teaching philosophy. I have a deep urge to teach my students to be themselves in the society. Consistent with my research themes, I want them to not be labeled with their disability, rather to be recognized with their abilities by their selves and by others.
A number of identities inhabit my teaching mission, which aims to create a society that accepts disabilities as ‘different abilities’ for individuals with and without disabilities in Turkey. My identity as ‘daughter’ – the child of a parent who devoted himself to education – started the fire in my heart for teaching and learning. My ‘sister’ identity comes from having an older brother with cerebral palsy, and makes me particularly passionate about special education. My ‘student’ and ‘beginner researcher’ identities emerged from my teachers’ and professors’ teaching strategies, which helped me broaden my horizons about the field and clarified my vision of teaching.
A thrilling quote from one of our senior professors in my undergraduate education created a niche in my mind, shifting my perspective of teaching into action: “You are not students; you are pre-service teachers who are born to be teachers with a unique gift: The ability to teach while learning!”. Captivated by this notion of teaching while learning, my passion for teaching preservice teachers has evolved into a notion of teaching as mentorship. Teachers work with their students with disabilities to stoke their awareness of the freedom to be themselves.
Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull
One of my favorite children book was Jonathan Livingston as a gift of finishing 5th grade with merit, from my dad who is also an educator. It still holds a privilege in my life experiences. I used this quote as one of basis of my teaching philosophy. I have a deep urge to teach my students to be themselves in the society. Consistent with my research themes, I want them to not be labeled with their disability, rather to be recognized with their abilities by their selves and by others.
A number of identities inhabit my teaching mission, which aims to create a society that accepts disabilities as ‘different abilities’ for individuals with and without disabilities in Turkey. My identity as ‘daughter’ – the child of a parent who devoted himself to education – started the fire in my heart for teaching and learning. My ‘sister’ identity comes from having an older brother with cerebral palsy, and makes me particularly passionate about special education. My ‘student’ and ‘beginner researcher’ identities emerged from my teachers’ and professors’ teaching strategies, which helped me broaden my horizons about the field and clarified my vision of teaching.
A thrilling quote from one of our senior professors in my undergraduate education created a niche in my mind, shifting my perspective of teaching into action: “You are not students; you are pre-service teachers who are born to be teachers with a unique gift: The ability to teach while learning!”. Captivated by this notion of teaching while learning, my passion for teaching preservice teachers has evolved into a notion of teaching as mentorship. Teachers work with their students with disabilities to stoke their awareness of the freedom to be themselves.
My formal teaching experience in the special education field began in Turkey by working for six months as a special education classroom teacher in a private special education school. I taught students ranging in age from 7 to 21. It was frustrating because of my lack of in-service training, and knowledge of appropriate accommodations, resources and opportunities to guide students with disabilities to generalize skills into daily life. I taught myself by searching online and in libraries for appropriate accommodations and effective teaching strategies. I wanted to compensate for my lack of experience and knowledge of effective teaching methods for each student. The discrepancy between what special education schools offer individuals with disabilities and its limited utility in everyday life led me to my research interests. I want to develop a deep understanding of culturally relevant self-determination skills that promote successful transition processes from education to adult life for individuals with disabilities in Turkey.
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My ultimate teaching goal will be to contribute to a dramatic shift of the social acceptance of special education by changing the view of special education from training individuals with disabilities so that they ‘cause less problems for their environments’ to guiding individuals with disabilities to ‘being active participants of society and determining their own life.’ I am confident that this goal has the power to change outcomes of inclusive teacher preparation in Turkey. Disability studies allow me to define and understand the Turkish special education system in context. As a result, I have revised my teaching agenda in pursuit of educating self-determined special education teachers to promote a new understanding of education proposition that is preparing students to a more successful transition to adult-life visions valued futures for all people, including those with disabilities.
For pre-service educators, undergraduate education is a starting-point for a lifelong learning process, which can be a priceless opportunity to splice inclusion into the process, and meaningful only when it leads pre-service educators to undertake a constant revision of their thoughts and its applications in life. I will become an agent of change in disability studies in Turkey by redesigning teacher education programs to prepare pre-service educators as professionals who wisely choose their roles according to various situations including being advocates, mentors, and/or instructors. As our teachers graduate, they will open the floodgates for acceptance of disability culture. Gradually, their students will become increasingly competent members of society, changing perceptions and contributing to the overall well being of life in Turkey.
For pre-service educators, undergraduate education is a starting-point for a lifelong learning process, which can be a priceless opportunity to splice inclusion into the process, and meaningful only when it leads pre-service educators to undertake a constant revision of their thoughts and its applications in life. I will become an agent of change in disability studies in Turkey by redesigning teacher education programs to prepare pre-service educators as professionals who wisely choose their roles according to various situations including being advocates, mentors, and/or instructors. As our teachers graduate, they will open the floodgates for acceptance of disability culture. Gradually, their students will become increasingly competent members of society, changing perceptions and contributing to the overall well being of life in Turkey.
I choose diverse mentors to influence my teaching.
I am confident that I will keep moving forward in learning how to teach to adults for their adult-life, for their 'NOW', for to be their- true-selves in our broader community with almost 8 billion people with these valuable mentors’ thoughts.