Teaching Beliefs 

To begin, I believe that schools are communities. Healthy communities are built with intention, common goals and purpose. For many of our students, families and teachers, school is one of the last communities they have. Now more than ever, it is important to show that our school is a place where all members feel welcome, wanted, challenged, respected, humbled and valued. This foundation is essential for all of our subsequent educational endeavours. I view myself as an integral part of this community; emphasising that despite my leadership role, I am just one member of this community, much like each student and staff member. I therefore lead by example, contributing to our community's growth by embodying values such as positivity, empathy, care, connection, humour and kindness. 

Next, I believe that the purpose of schooling is to help our students learn to their fullest potential. We as educators have a duty to equip each student with the essential knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life, such as numeracy, literacy, social skills, critical thinking, creativity, computational thinking, and project management—tools that will serve our students regardless of where life takes them. And this is best done through authentic, conceptual learning where students have a choice in what they learn and a vested interest in their own learning outcomes. I believe in the power of effective feedback and reflection, and that student achievement is inextricably linked to these two elements. I believe that assessments should inform instruction. As the teacher understands more about the students' own thoughts, ideas, and learning goals, a virtuous circle should form where they are better able to tailor learning to the student, and where the student is able to reach higher levels of achievement, growth, and insight. Finally, I believe that through universal design for learning, we can make the curriculum accessible to all learners.

Fundamentally, I maintain that all students are unique individuals with an inherent right to learn. Learning is a highly individualised journey, with each person progressing in their distinct manner and pace. We need to recognize and support children as individualsI with academic, social and emotional help as they need it. Reflecting on my own tumultuous learning experiences as a child in school, I am deeply committed to extending the same opportunities, support, and grace that were once granted to me by my teachers, principals, and parents. Anything less would be disingenuous.

Finally, I believe that we are living through the most tumultuous era of human history and that the coming decade will bring with it more change and advances than many previous centuries combined. I believe that schools need to recognize the incredible moment we find ourselves in and have the courage to reevaluate the systems and structures we have in place to best support our learners. With the coming advances of AI, I believe that schools need to centre well-being, creativity, health, and service alongside academics as core elements of how children spend their time within our care. Contrary to what many think we should be doing to prepare for an AI driven world, I believe the best way to prepare our students for what lies ahead is to build those elements that make us uniquely human.