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Matthew Martinez
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
My passion for teaching emerged from an unexpected place. It was cultivated in the
paradoxical anger and joy of early 90’s Hip-Hop music. The rawness of this art form intrigued
and inspired as lyrics about social justice, poverty, educational disparities, and racial inequalities
resonated deeply with my own experiences growing up. The pain I felt in these lyrics as a child
galvanized me to seek holistic solutions to social injustice as a college student. This pursuit led
me to serve in diverse neighborhoods like West Oakland and the Edgewood neighborhood in San
Antonio, Texas, and was a catalyst for my academic research as I found empirical evidence for
the lyrical truth that first influenced me. The result of this journey is a unique devotion to
holistic learning which informs my teaching philosophy. My teaching philosophy centers on
four principals: 1) community, 2) creative expression in the classroom, 3) active mentorship, and
4) student success.
Community
The knowledge I bring to the classroom spans the epistemological landscape and shapes
how I teach and what I teach. My experiences growing up in poverty, working in at-risk schools,
and encountering violence in the form of aggravated robbery and drive-by shootings allow me to
make sociological concepts relatable and tangible. During lectures I share stories with students
about real situations and people who have been impacted by the social problems described in
textbooks. These stories add a level of credibility that sociology is vitally impactful in people’s
daily lives. I emphasize the pragmatic nature of sociology and the importance of students as
social actors by cultivating a community environment in and out of the classroom.
When I was a sociology graduate student at Baylor University, I observed the teaching
styles of many faculty members. One of the professors I observed was Dr. Kevin Daugherty. As
I sat in his course I was amazed by the level of classroom participation and enthusiasm that he
received from students. In courses I teach I incorporate some of his techniques with the goal of
building a community atmosphere. Some of these techniques include calling each student by
name whenever we interact which requires that I memorize each student’s name. Another way I
foster classroom community is by allowing students time to announce birthdays, personal
accolades, and campus/community events they are part of. Creating a classroom affinity allows
students to feel safe and welcomed making them more likely to participate in classroom
discussions. When students feel more involved and attached in the classroom, I have found them
more apt to form study groups and hold each other accountable to complete assignments and
attend class regularly.
In addition to stimulating community in the classroom, I have an experiential teaching
style which includes giving students opportunities to be involved in the local community. For
example, in the Sociology of Education syllabus I have published in TRAILS, I give students the
option to replace one exam grade by mentoring at an at-risk school in their neighborhood for the
semester. This option allows students to experience the concepts learned in the classroom first-
hand and helps to diversify their epistemological perspective. I do not expect students to engage
in this activity alone as I believe in the concept of servant leadership. Therefore, during the
semester, I will also participate in the mentoring program as this helps to build upon the
community climate I expect to establish in the classroom.

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Matthew Martinez
Creativity in the Classroom
I believe that students are naturally inquisitive and creative. Therefore, one of my duties
as an instructor is to refine these qualities so that they find proper expression. One way of
accomplishing this task is to give students freedom in their presentation styles and methods. As
students are assigned to give presentations, I encourage them to be creative in their delivery
method – far too often we succumb to death by Power Point. Some examples of creative
presentation methods are the production of a skit, poem, song, or art piece that adequately
summarizes the assigned project. By having to develop a creative delivery method, students
deeply engage in the material as they must know it well enough to be able to deliver an
unconventional presentation.
Another way that I promote students’ creative and inquisitive attributes is by developing
their creative thinking skills. My teaching philosophy is focused on how students learn, as much
as on what they learn. If students leave my class having sharpened their analytical skills,
understanding how to critically think about topics in sociology, then I believe I have led a
successful course. My responsibility as an educator is to make sure students are prepared for the
workforce and for life and a teaching philosophy centered on the development of critical thinking
skills is best suited to reaching these objectives. The pragmatic nature of sociology is uniquely
structured to allow for critical thought and analyses while giving students great opportunities to
learn how to learn and how to apply this knowledge.
Along with focusing on cultivating student creativity, I continuously seek new and
exciting teaching styles and methods as I grow professionally. I incorporate creativity into my
teaching methods as seen in the Sociology of Education course I have developed. In this course I
have created what I call, Black Jack Quizzes which serve two purposes: 1) to stimulate student
reading and 2) to give a tangible way of understanding meritocracy and advantage within the
institution of education. The Black Jack Quizzes are a spin on traditional pop quizzes as they
have the same desired affect of keeping students engaged in the weekly reading assignments
through the element of surprise. The addition of the components of skill and luck built into the
game add an experiential learning dimension whereby students can understand the interaction of
talent and fortune in educational outcomes.
Mentoring and Training Students
Having learned from engaging and committed professors, part of my teaching philosophy
is to see students developed and trained to become change agents in the academy, their
community, and future workplace. To accomplish this goal, mentoring students through their
independent research, capstone, and/or thesis projects will be part of my commitment to the
teaching profession. Mentorship is also accomplished through career guidance as students
decide what steps to take after graduation and through the development of their research ideas.
My large body of quantitative and methodological skills allow me to help students with a
diversity of projects. In addition, working on collaborative projects will help students build their
analytic and statistical skill set and professional resumes as they pursue further training or
employment upon graduation. I also mentor students through a diverse curriculum. Diversity of
curriculum is found in both the author’s socioeconomic and gendered background as well as their
epistemological perspective. By introducing students to a varied curriculum, I expand their
worldview and provide diverse academic role models to a diverse classroom.

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Matthew Martinez
Seeing Students Succeed
One of my favorite poems to perform ends with a big twist in subject matter and the
crowd’s reaction is always the same – silence. It’s at this point I know that I’ve accomplished
the goal of this particular piece and the audience is in deep reflection. I know that not every one
of my instruction days will end with such a reaction, nor would I want it too, but what drives me
as a teacher is to see students engage deeply with course material. At the end of our time
together as a class, I hope to witness several things. I hope to: 1) see students grow as creative
thinkers, 2) see students reevaluate their career goals in light of the knowledge they have gained,
and ultimately 3) see students successful in the course and their future endeavors. There are
several ways to evaluate if I have been effective in my responsibilities as a teacher.
As students begin to think critically about their social world, they will begin to
demonstrate an ability to evaluate facts and distinguish fact from opinion. An example of an
evaluative metric for student’s development as critical thinkers is for students to create policy
memorandums for a given policy in the subject area. A possible assignment is for students to
create policy memos requiring the use of relevant research in order to advocate for education
reform in K-12 or Higher Education. After students complete these individual assignments they
will then critique two of their classmate’s memos as a way to develop their analytic and
evaluative skills. I can evaluate my effectiveness in getting students to think more broadly and
justice minded about their career goals through mentorship meetings. It is not my job as an
educator to change a student’s career path, but instead to get students to think about ways in
which they can align their career goals with a social justice agenda.
I am passionate about education. I get no greater joy than taking a journey of knowledge
with people as we learn about issues in our society with an ultimate goal to collaborate together
for change. My desire to teach comes from my personal experiences with some of the most
broken elements in our society. Teaching allows me to be a part of the restorative process of
fixing these damaged areas. By inspiring students to think creatively and critically about society
I am able to make a lasting impact in their lives and in turn they can become agents of change to
bring about a more whole and promising future for others.