Why I teach
My goal each year is to create a welcoming environment for each and every student. Our classroom should be a place where they feel safe and secure enough to test out their growing independence. I want students to feel safe to try, experiment and make mistakes.
I want students to enjoy school. The more fun they have while learning, the more they will retain and remember. Yes, there are times where we must sit still, be quiet, and work independently; these are important skills! However, wherever possible and appropriate for our curriculum, trust that we will be moving, creating, and working together.
I believe that responsibility is an important skill for each child to develop throughout the year. As the year progresses I will encourage the students to become more and more responsible for their own materials. Each student will be an active participant in his or her own education.
Education is best served with a side of silliness. When we become too focused on scores and achievement, education loses its luster. By sprinkling in a dance move here or there, a quick game to energize, or a silly call and response we create an environment we enjoy. We will learn the balance of fun and hard work and may discover that sometimes hard work is fun.
I think academics are a piece of our classroom, but they do not define our classroom. Test scores help us see where to go- they do not tell us who we are. What defines our classroom is how we treat each other- even when we disagree, the effort we put in every single day, and the way we handle challenges. It is important for each child in this class to know that they are loved, that their actions have consequences, and that THEY get to decide each day, with their actions and their attitudes, what kind of experience they will have in the classroom.
It's important that my students know that I demand the best because I BELIEVE IN THEM and know how capable they are. My expectations are high. Our goals are lofty- and we WILL reach for them together. We are a team and everyone is responsible for bringing his or her best effort!