I view teaching as a way to connect with my students and share my learning with them. It is my belief that every student has the potential to learn and excel when he or she is equipped with the right tools and motivated to tap his or her inner resources and strengths. My job as a teacher is to provide my students with the right tools and inspire them with the boundless possibilities awaiting them only if they try.

I envision my students as young learners who come to my class with varying levels of interest, abilities and expectations. I also see my students as individuals each bringing to the class a unique perspective, a genuine personality, and a varied life story to share with peers and teachers. I see each lesson as an opportunity to celebrate diversity, question assumptions and explore common ground. But first and foremost, I want each of my students to finish every school day feeling refreshed by the interactions in the classroom and rewarded for the hard work put in.

To achieve the above goal, I strive to engage my students by integrating technology in the delivery of instruction, teaching with clearly defined learning objectives in mind, and designing each lesson around active student learning. While holding them to a set of mutually agreed standards and expectations, I will treat my students with respect and dignity as I would colleagues and adults. In my classroom, learning activities primarily consist of group activities, research projects, team presentations, think-pair-share, games, and competition. Contrary to the traditional approach to teaching, which treats students as empty vessels to be filled up, I will create a student-centered environment of learning and practice a pedagogy that is driven by student focus and a belief that my students bring with them a wealth of prior knowledge and experience, that my role as a teacher is to facilitate and enrich everyone’s learning by tapping into that resource.

As a teacher of business education, I see my mission in the broad context of the role my profession plays in students’ overall educational journey. As is defined by the NBEA 2013 Yearbook, “the business education program prepares students to function as a consumer – the about business mission – and to work in a global economy – the for business mission.” As society becomes increasingly sophisticated in the economic and business aspects of everyday life, students will transition into post-secondary career, adult life or work more confidently if they are equipped with the basic knowledge and skills as informed consumers and effective participants of the business world. My job is to prepare students for that transition.

I choose to teach business because I love sharing my understanding of this fascinating dimension of life. I have been in business for many years, working in a variety of settings, cultures and industries, and functioning in a number of different roles. I also have questions about some of the assumptions and practices of the business world. I hope that my experience and perspectives will provide one more lens students can use to view the real world as they formulate their own while making sense of what they find in textbooks and other sources. I love to hear what my students have to say about business as many of them will become leaders of tomorrow. It is indeed a privilege to be working with future leaders in the present!