I believe that teaching is a process of learning from students, colleagues, parents, community members and the church. Teaching is a life long process that involves being open to new and innovative ways of teaching and learning. I also strongly believe that “good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of a teacher” (Parker J. Palmer). Building honest and open relationships with students allows my students, colleagues, parents and the community to see me as a whole person, and not simply as a teacher. These relationships lead to students trusting, confiding in and looking at me as a mentor.

In addition I believe that children are knowledgeable inquirers. As a teacher my goal is to help students discover this in themselves and help them believe that they can use their conceptual understanding to explore knowledge across all disciplines, that they know how to learn independently and with others, and that they can be agentic and engage in local and global issues. As an educator my goal is to create risk-takers, students who will work independently and collaboratively to explore new ideas using innovative strategies.

I also believe that teaching is more than academics. As a teacher it is my duty to help children develop the Ontario Graduate Expectations and the catholic virtues by modeling them, and helping them understand the importance of their characteristics. Furthermore, over time I expect for my teaching philosophy to change as I learn about new strategies, ideas and philosophies.