Teaching and learning are my life’s passions. I believe to be a great teacher you must have an understanding and knowledge of not only methods and pedagogy, but a connection and understanding of the content you teach. I am always eager to find connections to help engage my students in the learning process. This adds personalization to curriculum, which leads to a higher interest and endured understanding of content. As a “troubled learner” myself, I am aware first hand of the emotions that go along with learning differences, which no textbook can teach. My son also has learning differences; I feel firsthand the fears and uncertainty of many parents. My experiences as a student and as a parent have made me a superior teacher. I strive to learn, new methodology, new content, and new ideas. I have versatility I have taught 3rd grade to high school. I am certified ESE K-12 as well as Social Sciences 6-12. I implement Conscious Discipline in my daily life and in my classroom. Conscious Discipline® is a comprehensive classroom management program and a social-emotional curriculum. It is based on current brain research, child development information, and developmentally appropriate practices. I am trained in Orton- Gillingham. The Orton-Gillingham methodology utilizes phonetics and emphasizes visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. I have implemented a multi-sensory approach to teaching decoding and encoding. I look at life as teachable moments; I believe that life is about constantly teaching and learning, whether young or old, we all have something to teach and to learn.
My teaching philosophy and the fundamental core of my life, to provide a safe place, where love, guidance, and connections are the foundation. My classroom is organized around the concept of a school family. Each member of our school family, both adult and student, learns the skills needed to successfully manage life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, communicating effectively, and being aware to others’ needs. Students learn their whole lives about rules on what not to do; my classroom is based on what to do. We have classroom commitments in lieu of class rules. I believe in teaching students what you want and expect, not what you don’t want. It is based on the belief of what you focus on, you get more of. As teachers, we must plan and follow curriculum but I believe some “big learning” happens during unplanned teachable moments.
I believe as a teacher I act as a guide, I facilitate learning. I guide students but when connections between student and content are made, that is when the students will excel. If something appeals to the students whether it be new technology, reading, or a new skill, students tend to be more motivated to learn it. I believe that students apply themselves more strongly to learn something that they enjoy, then to something they seem to dislike. I believe that “big learning” moments are when children connect information and ideas, relate information to themselves or when they can recall information and relate it to the world around them. As I learn and grow, my teaching will progress but my foundation will always be love and connection.
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