While recently pondering my upcoming assignments, I came across a quote near the bottom of a syllabus: “The art of teaching is the art of awakening.”  This phrase, quietly tucked away in my pile of papers, suddenly appeared to me midway through my student teaching, in a sense “awakening” me.  I have always seen the quotes about teaching, the phrases that speak to some higher teaching purpose and quips provided by those, like Einstein and Dewey, whose advice we tend to ponder more carefully.  Being someone new to the profession of teaching, I looked naively to such words of advice and wisdom, trying to wrap my mind around the words they projected.  And yet, when the quotation above appeared before me, I found I could embrace it, and do today.  Only now, as a real practicing teacher, can I realize that teaching is truly an art that not only helps me awaken in my students new knowledge and questions about life, but leads to a sort of awakening in myself of a deep purpose and love not only for biology, but also for the entire process of learning and growth of my students in which I have the privilege of being a part. 

I teach because I thrive on the joy of learning and watching and helping others learn.  Biology has always been an area in which I can uncover new ideas and issues that interest me, and which I can tie to all areas of my life and, in turn, my students’ lives.  I constantly try to convey to my students the interconnectedness of biology with our lives.  For instance, art and biology have always shared intimate paths in history, as in the anatomical prints of Vesalius.  In an anatomy and physiology class, for example, my goal for students is not only to teach them the correct position and function of muscles, but also to show them that there is a history and an art to the biological subject at hand.   Sharing these connections that cross the boundaries of the traditional disciplines is a way that I hope to help students create their own personalized concept of what biology really is: A science of living organisms that is beautifully interconnected.

The ideal way to learn biology is with all five senses, for it is with these senses that we teach ourselves about life from the day we are born.  Biology labs not only allow students to practice, first-hand, the process of scientific inquiry and testing, but they are an ideal way to reinforce biological concepts and phenomena within students’ minds.  I cannot count the number of times when a laboratory exercise, where students explore individually the concept at hand, has led students to fully grasp an abstract idea that would not have been nearly as clear if given in a lecture format.  I become genuinely excited as I plan “hands-on and minds-on” lab activities for my students in a way that combines application of subject matter with the practice of common “nature of science” methods.  Plus, there is nothing better than helping a student see a biological concept come to life before his or her eyes and realize that the organization and function of life around us is readily observed.  I hope to help point students in this direction.

At this point in my teaching and learning career, I see myself as both the “awakener” as well as continually being “awakened” to the art of teaching and biology as a subject matter.  In this short first year of teaching I have just begun to learn the best methods for reaching and teaching each individual student, and how I can best align my teaching philosophy with standards, school policies, and student differences.  I continually seek feedback from my peers, and most-importantly from my students, not only with respect to what they are learning on tests and in labs, but also what teaching methods work best for them.  My “art,” as I foresee it, will constantly be in progress as I continue to be awakened by teaching, and as my students challenge and awaken me to become a better teacher.