My Teaching Philosophy
I believe in educating the whole child. It is incredibly important to acknowledge each student as an individual and to have a full understanding of their strengths and areas requiring improvement. I teach to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed at their level. I believe that education has many components. As a teacher I feel that it is my duty to teach students to strive for academic excellence as well as excellence in their ability to be compassionate, to communicate, and provide for their community while preparing them for a future of learning and career readiness skills.
- I believe in treating all students with respect and dignity.
- I believe in treating students equally. This also implies that I will treat students differently according to their needs. I strive to give my students every opportunity to succeed on their own terms to show standard mastery of standards and skills.
- I believe in creating a safe, engaging and supportive learning environment where my students feel welcome to take risks and explore their educational potential.
- I believe in extra-curricular activities and field trips. They provide students with an excellent opportunity to learn soft skills which are not always possible to teach within the classroom.
- I believe in fairness. Whether this shows through the implementation of different classroom management techniques, or differentiated lessons, I assess all situations as they are presented with an objective outlook to ensure all students will be treated fairly.
- I believe in making learning meaningful to my students. This means adapting the curriculum to their current social situations as well as religious and cultural backgrounds without loss of rigor.
- I believe in getting to know my students - strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes - as best I can, so that I may help them to grow and develop rapport with my students.
- I believe in teaching cross-curricular lessons.
- I believe in positivity. No matter what life throws at me, inside the classroom or out, I believe that attitudes are contagious, and a positive attitude is always preferable.
- I believe in open communication between families, colleagues and administrators through classroom newsletters, meetings and conferences.
- I believe in including families and community members as stakeholders who are actively involved in their child's education.
- I believe in a positive approach to behavior management - an approach based on positive reinforcement, recognition and instilling students with the 7 habits of a highly effective people.