Philosophy

The videos below are a great place to start when learning about my philosophy of education and classroom management. I really resonate with the content of all three videos, and try to bring these same ideas into my classroom every day.

To start, I believe that the relationships students have with each other, and with their teacher, will have the greatest impact on their learning and achievement. To quote Rita Pierson, "Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists they become the best they can possibly be." Developing an honest, trusting, empathetic, and safe relationship with my students is my first priority. I want my students to know that I care about them, that I will be there for them, and that my classroom is a safe place for them learn. It is important to me that my students know that I am rooting for them to be successful, and I will help them get past the bumps along the way. I want to teach my students to be genuinely good people, to love and care for others, and to know how to interact with other people in a positive way. I want to prepare my students for their future, and give them the best learning experience that I can while they are in my classroom. In order to do this, I need to truly know who my students are, understand where they are coming from, and what kind of environment they learn best in. I strive to have the best rapport, and highest mutual respect, that I can with my students. In doing this, I will be able to teach them to the best of my ability, and they will be able to learn to the best of their ability.

All students will have good days and bad days, and it is the teacher's and classes' job, as a community, to uplift and encourage those students on their bad days. Ultimately, I believe that the motivation for most misbehavior is the result of a desire to be connected, accepted, to fit in, to be loved, and to have someone acknowledge you. Because of this, it is important that I don't always go off of my first reaction to misbehavior. Instead, I take the time to have a private conversation with that student to find out what is really going on. Our classroom is a learning community, and if someone is disrupting that learning community we need to be compassionate and empathetic towards them, while at the same time solving the problem. Relationships and human connections are important for successful learning and development. If we simply dismiss the way someone feels, they won't feel safe and comfortable in that space, or around the person who dismisses their feelings. When we are empathetic with one another, and take time to understand another person's perspectives and feelings, we create an honest and trusting relationship with them. They will feel valued and recognized for who they are, and how they are feeling.

Because the classroom is made up of a unique community, all students will have responsibilities in taking ownership of the classroom and their own learning. Every day I am growing more and more towards employing a student-led classroom. I want every student to know what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how they can be successful. If every student knows these three pieces of information, I can guide them towards taking ownership of their own learning. I love how Carol Dweck puts it, "Difficulty just means not yet," not that you can't do it. My classroom will be a place where students are able to make mistakes, grow from them, and learn to the best of their ability. I want to show my students that everything I teach them has a purpose. I often tell my students that they make a very important choice in school every single day. That is the choice to have a growth mindset, or a fixed mindset. If they choose to have a growth mindset, they can take on difficult challenges with excitement, allow themselves to make mistakes, reflect on their learning, and continue to grow as a learner. If they choose to have a fixed mindset, they will view difficulties as something they can't do, and they won't learn from them. The 'Power of Yet' is an extremely important saying in our classroom. There is a very big difference between not knowing something, and not knowing it yet. One of my favorite quotes I shared with my students this year is, "If you are tempted to say I can't, have the courage to add yet." Every person learns at a different pace, and I teach students that it is okay if they don't master something the first time they try it. Just like they didn't master sports, riding a bike, or tying their shoes the first time they tried it. Those things take time and practice, just like learning. I teach them that their brain is a muscle, and it needs exercise just like the rest of their body. All of my students will be a part of student-led conferences where they have the chance to reflect on their own learning, and then share their successes and their 'Not Yets' with their parents. This also allows students to set learning goals for themselves throughout the school year. Every student knows the beginning of the y that this will be their responsibility as a student. I will be there to guide them through the process, but they are the ones making the choice to take ownership of their own learning.

Below you will find five videos that Class Dojo has created to teach students about adopting a growth mindset. I use these videos to start our discussions about having a growth mindset not only in the classroom, but in life.