I believe that teaching is a field of inquiry and all the teachers should be dedicated to their own field and I also believe that technology is one means of allowing teachers to expand the concept of community to a more global idea, and through discourse about the field we can improve the quality of teaching and, therefore, learning.

I believe that an effective teacher must have a great understanding of the subject matter being taught as well as of the underlying pedagogical theory. I believe that it is the teacher's responsibility to stay current in the field, engaging in research and participating in classes, conferences, workshops, and/or mentoring, which can improve subject matter knowledge. A teacher must be able to make good selections about what to teach and how to structure and organize the material. At the same time, it is important to stay abreast of current theory and research in the field of teaching and pedagogy so they can be able to know what to teach as well as what is the best way to teach it.

I believe that in order to be effective, teachers must know their students, we must be aware of what students know when they come into the classroom as well as how to tap into that knowledge and build on it. I view teaching as a process of encouraging students to make connections between their experiences and the subject matter. In any course, teachers should attempt to guide students through subject matter and facilitate new discoveries, and consequently the students should take away new insights, explanations, and skills.

Generally, I believe the role of a teacher is to be a facilitator; teachers should enable students to become responsible for their own learning. I do recognize that students learn in different ways, so I am committed to include all students in the learning process.

Teachers should be able to vary teaching styles and should expect students to participate in a mixture of lecture, discussion, and group activities. The use of technology is important in the classroom since it is a vehicle for instruction and can be an invaluable tool for addressing different learning styles. It allows students to become more involved in the processes of learning rather than focusing on the product that they produce, although I have found that focusing on the process invariably leads to a better product.

I believe that students should gain experience with rapidly evolving technology, but I also believe that technology must be used as a means of accomplishing more, to allow for a better and improved learning and teaching, and should not be used as a end unto itself.

A teacher is responsible for building a relationship with students. Teachers must respect students, and we must believe that all students are capable and they always have something to contribute, because, they often may bring new insights to a subject or raise questions about a subject that have not yet been considered.

Classroom learning should be viewed as a reciprocal process having the teachers committed to student success for we are responsible for making our subject matter accessible to those who do not yet know it. We must provide formative as well as summative feedback, and try to ensure wide participation.

As teachers, we should be accessible to all students, making sure that we talk to individual students during class and that we are available to students after class during office hours.

I believe that greater diversity leads to increases in the breadth and depth of learning, having the teachers being committed to recognizing and to addressing diversity in the classroom. We should try to include readings to create an inclusive course of study, and we should try to create units to deal with issues of diversity.

I believe that writing is one of the most important skills that a student can develop. Being an effective writer can allow a student to develop his or her ideas to their fullest potential and can allow him or her to communicate those ideas to others. Writing skills developed in the beginning of a student's college career can enable the student to be successful for the rest of his or her college career and can also help him or her later in a professional career. Writing intensive courses in which students become involved with content, whether current issues, literature, science, history, or other, are one of the best means of encouraging students to engage in critical thinking.

Teacher training and instructional development must be viewed as primary responsibilities as I believe that effective teaching skills can be developed, and teachers must have knowledge of what skills make a teacher effective and must work to craft those skills. Those skills must be honed, and they must be personalized.

Finally I believe that an effective teacher is a difficult task, but a teacher who accepts teaching as a challenge, and as a responsibility, will also find that it can provide rewards that are well worth the effort.