Teaching for me comes naturally. I truly believe it is my gift. I have been an educator for 31 years, and through it all my philosophy of education remains the same. My philosophy and beliefs about teaching each and every student is simple; ALL students can learn! 

Through my years of teaching experience, I have learned when students enter my classroom, they enter possessing different experiences, cultures, languages, socioeconomic statuses and so forth.  I see each child as an individual and although the process may look different for some students, they are all capable of learning. My goal as their teacher is to maximize their learning potential by first creating a warm learning environment so that my students can feel safe to take risk and express themselves. It is at that point when learning begins to take place. 

My students are held to high expectations no matter their level. They are given the tools needed to achieve academic success in my classroom. I identify their individual needs, provide appropriate accommodations, and remove barriers that may hinder their learning. I follow up with frequent check-ins to ensure my students are making progress. This works for me and my students. 

Our classroom community is established early on and together. I believe this is a crucial part of a student’s success in and out of the classroom. We have class rules, protocols, and norms that we participate in daily. Students along with myself are expected to listen attentively to each other. Our morning meeting is a great time when we enforce listening attentively as we use this time for sharing and communicating with each other. It is very important, not only for myself but for my students as well that I am understanding, patient, and model how to be empathetic towards other students. Therefore, our classroom community is that of a family. We take care of each other, help each other, and most importantly cheer each other on through whatever comes our way.