Quotes About Me:

"Throughout this process, Holly demonstrated a worked with her peers and grew in using inquiry-based teaching to advance justice in the classroom through content and pedagogy. " -Linda Doornbos 

"One of Holly's Qualities is her desire to learn how to improve her craft. She sought feedback from me before or after teaching her lessons that enhanced her future lessons. She was consistently looking for ways to connect with her students for the purpose of making her lessons relevant and more effective in helping them achieve their maximum learning potential." -Janis Byrn

"Holly has the ability to connect with kids to bring out their personalities. She produces a very engaging and enjoyable circle time for the kids, which allows her to connect with them on a deeper level. In addition to that, she has the strength of being highly organized, which allows for the run of a room effectively." -Katie Flynn

Teaching Philosophy:

My goal for my classroom is to have an inclusive, welcoming, and warm classroom. I will achieve this through my lessons, the books I read, and the way I communicate with the community. I want my classroom to feel like the children’s “second home,” because they will be spending so much of their time in our room. I am hoping once I build this community and environment my students will feel they can come to me if they need anything emotionally, mentally, and physically. I want a student-centered classroom so they can explore their interests and needs. I want to make sure I am promoting critical thinking to understand where my students are at, and what more I need from the students. Overall, I would like my classroom to be a room in which students feel excited to come to school.

I will be using different teaching strategies in my classroom to help children learn. I want to make sure I am teaching my students in multiple ways and allowing them multiple chances to show what they know. I will be using different teaching strategies like building a community and using technology. We will be working on building a community by going on field trips to local businesses to learn more. Students’ guardians are welcome to be a part of their students’ lives inside the classroom. This means parents coming in to read to the students, coming in for parties, etc. I want my students’ personal lives and funds of knowledge to be included in their classroom and learning experience. 

Students learning is what makes the classroom a classroom. If we are not teaching students, then what are we doing there? I will be making students aware and responsible for their learning. I think every child is capable of doing homework and when we do not send homework home this can put a gap in what we believe the child is capable of doing and learning. Overall, I would like the students in our classroom to learn the most they can and put in their best efforts.