Teaching Philosophy: Aaron Bloomfield

from the Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching and Learning 
at the University of Pennsylvania
 
pub-lic ser-vice; noun A service performed for the benefit of the public, expecially by a nonprofit organization.

I have always enjoyed helping other people Throughout my life, I have always been very active in doing so In high school it was with the Boy Scouts and various scouting related service organizations; during my undergraduate years at college it was volunteering on two ambulance corps and helping handicapped people learn to swim One way or another, I have always wanted to make the world a better place Through these activities I have grown a lot as well When helping handicapped children, many of whom are disabled for life, I really learned to appreciate the gift of health that I normally took for granted I took a long look at life when I had my first ambulance call where the patient did not survive I thought about that ambulance run for a long time afterwards The friendships that I have gained through these activities, both with the people I have helped and others who were helping as well, will last a lifetime I sought to aid others, and my life was enriched in the process.
 
en-thu-si-asm noun Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause.

Ever since elementary school, I have known that I wanted to spend my life in the computer field— I have always had a tremendous interest in the computer sciences I consider myself lucky for this; few people know, especially so early in life, exactly what field they want to enter into as a life career This has aided me in the last few years Academically, it enabled me to excel in my computer science courses I enjoyed the work so greatly that I would strive for perfection, and often do more than was required Outside the classroom, I learned aspects of computing that are not always taught in a course I have been involved in a number of research projects that allowed me to use the theory that I learned in class in a more practical manner In addition to the results of the research, I increased my research skills and learned how research projects work, which is aiding me as I pursue my Ph.D Through my computer related employment, I learned many aspects of the computer field that only come from being in the workforce The work habits and experience I gained there will help me in whatever I pursue in life.

ed-i-fy verb, transitive. To instruct especially so as to encourage intellectual improvement.

It took me a while to figure out how to combine these. I knew that I wanted to do something with my life career that would benefit other people This led to a myriad of jobs—almost anything in the medical field, working for non-profit organizations, etc But when given the second constraint, that I wanted my career to be in the computer sciences, the number of possible jobs was considerably curtailed Most computer jobs are not in the service area—working on movies, writing programs, etc are not jobs that will directly affect people.   One could argue that a program will have a positive effect on people down the road, but it is certainly not a direct influence, and people do not become computer programmers for the service aspect.

I used to think (in high school) that a teacher couldn't have a significant affect on a student—after all, they are just one of many teachers that the student will have Then, a few years ago, I saw the affect that one good professor can have on his or her students, and I knew I had found my life's career in teaching By teaching others, I would be able to combine my love of the computer field with my enjoyment of helping others Becoming a professor would also enable me to pursue research in whatever aspect of the field I enjoyed the most Yet through it all, I would be able to help others develop their most important attribute:  the mind.

I believe very strongly that somebody should only teach if they enjoy doing it This is a difficult beief to hold in a time when there is a serious shortage of teachers Yet I still feel it is better to have a lot of students packed into a classroomwith a teacher who cares and who is interested in teaching and the students rather than have a lot of teachers, many of whom would rather be doing something else I have seen the difference between teachers who enjoy what they do and those that do not Everybody who has gone through high school and college has good professors and teachers, as well as bad ones.

One of my interests is Native American culture in high school I helped start a Native American dance team which I am still a member of Pursuing that interest, I signed up for a course on Native American studies during my freshman year The class was abominable The lectures were dry and empty of spirit, and the professor uninterested in the students or, it seemed, in the material One of the recognized problems with research universities is that some professors are only interested in the research and not the teaching aspect (though, as a side note, it's very refreshing to see that UPenn is putting more focus on the teaching aspect) If I had to use that class as my basis for learning about the field, I would have walked away and not thought twice Yet this is a field that I have had a serious interest in since early high school.

Another class I took, which sharply contrasts to the previous example, was a computer theory class during my first year at UPenn in the Ph.D. program Computer theory is a notoriously difficult and often unpopular field of computer science I had taken two computer theory classes in my undergraduate curriculum, and disliked both I had "written off" the field as uninteresting Yet when I took the class here at UPenn, the professor made the class so interesting and understandable that I really enjoyed the class (it certanly helped that he spoke fluent English; he is also one of the best lecturers I've ever met) I enjoyed the class so much, in fact, that I took an advanced theory class with that professor the next semester.

in-flu-ence; noun. a. Power to sway or affect based on prestige, wealth, or position b. One exercising such power c. An effect or change produced by such power.

I could write pages on the positive influences that a few select professors have had on my computer science career and, indeed, on my whole life My application to, and subsequent entry into, the Ph.D. program here at UPenn is in large part due to seeing how a couple professors could influence the lives of their students for the better.

I realized that this was my career calling, that this is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life By becoming a professor of computer science, I could stay in the field I loved, and at the same time use my career to benefit students in a positive manner I have been told that I have the ability to explain things in a coherent and understandable manner, and this has helped me with my teaching. My love of teaching is the main reason why I continue to TA during my Ph.D. program All Ph.D computer science students are required to TA for one year, but I hope to TA for the rest of my time here.

In a time when a lot of my peers are unsure what career they want for the rest of their lives, it is refreshing to know what I want to do.  Through teaching, I can stay in the field I love, and at the same time I can help other people.