Meet Mr. West

I believe children learn best when:

1. They are supported by other learners.

2. They are invited to take risks.

3. Their learning environment provides safety nets to sustain them through failure as well as success.

4. They are personally involved in decisions about their own learning.

5. What they learn is meaningful and enjoyable to them.

6. They have the power to learn and teachers have the responsibility to be in control of curriculum decisions.

My philosophy is that "I believe each child is special and learning is fun. I believe all children learn to read by reading, write by writing and learn best by doing."

I will only have your child for a short time in this trip through life--just one fleeting school year--and I want to make a contribution that lasts a lifetime.

I have been teaching for over 25 years, with experience in both third grade and fourth grade. Since 2003, I have been at Zervas Elementary School in Newton, Massachusetts. Before that, I taught at St. Stephen's Armenian Elementary in Watertown, Massachusetts and at Coral Springs Elementary in Florida.

I hold a Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Strategic Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.