Dear students and parents:
As a special educator, teacher of English and lifelong dancer and Dance educator, I have a multi-faceted view of how students learn and achieve. I view students first as individuals with unique strengths, talents and abilities; my goal is to help each student to tap into his or her own interests and passions first. I work from an assumption that all children can learn and succeed and I teach in a competency-based manner. This means that whatever work or project is being done, the work will be concluded when the student reaches a level of competency of 80% minimum or a subjective rating of very good or excellent. In whatever subjects I am teaching, (I have taught many subjects through the GED programs,) I incorporate the use of the arts in my teaching, so that work may be illustrated or danced, or put into the form of a poem, for example. This interdisciplinary approach is very appealing and motivating to learners; it also taps into multiple learning styles. For me, and hopefully for my students, teaching is an ongoing creative process, with both the instructor and the learner engaged in the tasks of exploring information, using knowledge and developing self-expression so that the "whole person" is engaged and enriched. My idea is to help young people follow a journey of education and enlightenment of the self and others. My hope is that individuals choose to become lifelong learners, seeing the early years of their education as just the very beginning.
I have been involved in teaching for 40 years. I have a license to teach individuals with disabilities and have worked with both children and adults at various levels of personal and academic functioning. I have also taught in a GED program for approximately 10 years, specializing in English/Language Arts, Social Studies and Dance with general education and special needs students combined. Currently, I teach in a program for students who have not completed high school in the traditional four-year time frame. Here I work with Dance as a form of health and wellness and Dance as an art form. Additionally, I utilize all the forms of Language Arts to help prepare students for their next steps in life. These activities include teaching students how to write essays, how to prepare term papers, how to present original poetry at school events and how to create portfolios of written work for individualized study and advancement.
I believe that educational advancement is a key factor in helping people choose positive career paths and in creating personal fulfillment. Although I have been teaching for a very long time, I am always happy when I teach. I would like to give away this gift to others, so that they in turn, can give it away to still another.
Sincerely,
Joan Kavadlo
back to top