Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is rooted in the nourishment and growth of the whole person. My goal is to create a classroom culture that is positive and accepting and that is based on empathy and compassion towards others. I and members of my class will strive for equity and will understand that we all come from different backgrounds even if we share the same gender or skin color. The classroom will be a safe space to share ideas and thoughts. We will be mindful of our speech and trust that we will treat others with kindness and dignity but will hold each other accountable if this trust is broken. We will be open to new ideas and each day we will strive for growth not only academically, but sociologically as human beings.

When I have created a classroom culture that is based on trust, empathy, compassion, kindness and dignity then true understanding can take place. I strive to create an environment that values critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and cultural competency. I want students that can think for themselves, that have ideas that are outside the box, that look at the details and the big picture. It is important that students know how to work independently and together within a group or a team and in this day and age of social media and online profiles it is paramount to develop written and verbal communication skills. Additionally, I want students to understand that their are differences in cultures and variances within those cultures. Cultural competency is sometimes lost in this day and age and can be polarizing but it is important to understand our connection with other human being on this planet, in this country, this state and within our school.

I value equity in my classroom and differentiated instruction is a big part of my Unit and Lesson planning. I want to provide the platform for all students to succeed in their educational goals and achieve higher levels of understanding as we move through content during their time with me. It is important to prepare each lesson to best optomize each student's learning in the areas of ENGAGEMENT, REPRESENTATION and ACTION & EXPRESSION.