Teaching Philosophy

   My teaching philosophy is that it is essential to build a strong classroom community. I have found that cultivating a positive learning environment increases student motivation and eagerness to participate in lessons. I believe that having strong relationships with my students leads to academic and social success. Knowing my students allows me to tailor my lessons to students’ personal interests, making the material more engaging. For example, when I have reluctant reader's/writer's I will use their personal interests to recommend books and suggest writing topics.  I also use students’ interests to choose reading materials for guided reading groups. My students are not afraid to ask questions, share their ideas, work with other students, and take academic risks. 

    Character education is important to my teaching philosophy. Students need to be taught social-emotional skills that will help shape them into successful individuals both academically and socially. During our daily morning meetings, we will discuss valuable skills such as trustworthiness, growth mindset, cooperation, and conflict-resolution. We have a whole group discussion on the skills' importance and then share times in our lives where the skill has been utilized effectively. Students have the opportunities to practice these skills through cooperative learning activities in class. I have found that spending time creating a strong classroom community has benefitted my students' enthusiasm for learning, their academic success, problem solving skills, and their excitement to be in our classroom every day and try their best!