1. Scott William Wagner
Heald College Application
Teaching Philosophy
Teaching and Learning
In comparison to learning, teaching demands a higher degree of humility. I have
come to realize that understanding the various experiences, backgrounds, and goals of my
ever-changing classroom is arguably more valuable than the content I teach. Knowing
full well that almost all of my students are not history majors and do not carry the passion
for the discipline that I do, I have worked hard to emphasize and strengthen various skills
that transcend my discipline for the majority of my students while also nurturing those
who have taken a liking to historical studies. In this respect, teaching has helped me to
break out of my history-centered prism in order to leave my students with universal skills
of learning and intellectual development as well as some discipline-specific knowledge.
This exemplifies a clear break from the often solitary and esoteric learning environment
of a graduate studies.
My experiences in teaching have allowed me to develop a level of patience that
has been both trying and rewarding. Early in my first semester as a teaching associate, I
often felt frustrated that my students were not progressing at the rate I had hoped for. I
kept asking myself why my jam-packed lesson plans were not being completed in the
fifty minute time slot we had together. It did not make sense to me why, both
collectively as a class and individually, we were not making big strides in the course.
After speaking with several fellow teaching associates and receiving some advice from
my supervising professor, I realized that sometimes less is more, and maybe spending
1

2. more time on a specific topic rather than jumping to the next was the solution. This
challenged my understanding of how to teach at the front of a class as opposed to
learning in the back of it. Still a work in progress, this student-teacher challenge has
changed my perspective both in how I approach my own work as well my understanding
of what defines successful teaching.
After reading through my faculty evaluations and receiving feedback from my
supervising professors, explaining the material clearly as well as relating it to students are
my two best teaching strengths. These were areas of teaching in which I have put a lot of
effort because I still vividly remember what it was like to be completely lost in a class
which was of no particular interest to me. Knowing that there is sometimes a large
disconnect between what the professor aims for in lecture and what the student hears and
understands, bridging this gap continually shapes how I approach teaching. .
While analyzing some of the distinctions between teaching and learning, I have
also come to realize that they share a lot in common, especially for the truly dedicated
professional. They both exist within the larger sphere of intellectual development and
exchange. For teachers who truly enjoy their profession, they also understand that
students who continually engage and learn from it make up a vital component of its
overall worth. Their opinions, interpretations, and ultimate understanding give the
content contemporary value and meaning. This represents the continual flow of
knowledge and learning that constitutes the teacher-student relationship.
2