Be Your Own Rudder!
A little bit about me, I am a retired Army Warrant Officer (Criminal Investigator & Commander) who has also worked in Real Estate and was the Vice President of a large food packaging company. I am married with six children and fourteen grand children. I have a Bachelors degree, an MBA and a Masters in Elementary Education. I am Highly Qualified in Elementary K-6 and it has always been my dream and calling to teach our youth.
My Teaching Philosophy
I am going to walk in the door everyday with a smile and an open mind. I am going to prepare everyday with the mindset of creating a spark within the minds of my students. When a student enters my classroom they will be entering a place where their learning and safety is my main focus. This includes how topics are taught, the management of my classroom and ensuring everything I do is in the students’ best interests. As a teacher, it is my calling to instill a love of learning in my students. The focus of my efforts will be to provide the support and love each student needs to fulfill their potential.
As a teacher I have developed a series of beliefs:
· I believe it is critical to create and maintain a supportive learning environment. Students and teacher must work hard being well aware that there are no shortcuts to success. I will provide students with access to interesting topics and thought provoking lessons. One way I accomplish this is by creating an environment that encourages discussions and questions.
· I believe in making my lessons authentic. Students learn more and stay focused longer if they are invested in what is being taught. An excellent way to accomplish this is through making connections with what is important in their lives. Students will be engaged by being introduced to a topic and then being allowed to expanded their knowledge through experiments, projects, and working in teams.
· I believe in using a variety of teaching techniques. There are many different ways of learning and every child learns things differently. I will strive to help students become independent thinkers. One example of how we will do this by our first project of the year. Students will be given a problem (build a satellite) to accomplish a specific task. They will be provided numerous types of materials to complete the project in a specified time. The goal of the project is for students to become independent thinkers and devise their own plan and then build the satellite.
· I believe in using a variety of assessment techniques. Assessments help in determining not only the level of my student’s understanding but how well I am performing my duties. With that in mind, I use formal and informal assessments, journals, and observation as the main means for evaluation. By varying the assessments I am better able to judge everyone’s progress.
· I believe parents/families must be part of a successful learning team. Education today must be a “Team” effort and the family is a key part of the team. It is my responsibility to make the contact and connection with the family and ensure they are kept informed of their child’s progress towards meeting standards. Just as important I must make sure parents always feel a crucial part of the “Team”. I do this through home visits, constant communication (when things are going well and not so well), and being receptive to their ideas of how to teach their children.
A little bit about me, I am a retired Army Warrant Officer (Criminal Investigator & Commander) who has also worked in Real Estate and was the Vice President of a large food packaging company. I am married with six children and fourteen grand children. I have a Bachelors degree, an MBA and a Masters in Elementary Education. I am Highly Qualified in Elementary K-6 and it has always been my dream and calling to teach our youth.
My Teaching Philosophy
I am going to walk in the door everyday with a smile and an open mind. I am going to prepare everyday with the mindset of creating a spark within the minds of my students. When a student enters my classroom they will be entering a place where their learning and safety is my main focus. This includes how topics are taught, the management of my classroom and ensuring everything I do is in the students’ best interests. As a teacher, it is my calling to instill a love of learning in my students. The focus of my efforts will be to provide the support and love each student needs to fulfill their potential.
As a teacher I have developed a series of beliefs:
· I believe it is critical to create and maintain a supportive learning environment. Students and teacher must work hard being well aware that there are no shortcuts to success. I will provide students with access to interesting topics and thought provoking lessons. One way I accomplish this is by creating an environment that encourages discussions and questions.
· I believe in making my lessons authentic. Students learn more and stay focused longer if they are invested in what is being taught. An excellent way to accomplish this is through making connections with what is important in their lives. Students will be engaged by being introduced to a topic and then being allowed to expanded their knowledge through experiments, projects, and working in teams.
· I believe in using a variety of teaching techniques. There are many different ways of learning and every child learns things differently. I will strive to help students become independent thinkers. One example of how we will do this by our first project of the year. Students will be given a problem (build a satellite) to accomplish a specific task. They will be provided numerous types of materials to complete the project in a specified time. The goal of the project is for students to become independent thinkers and devise their own plan and then build the satellite.
· I believe in using a variety of assessment techniques. Assessments help in determining not only the level of my student’s understanding but how well I am performing my duties. With that in mind, I use formal and informal assessments, journals, and observation as the main means for evaluation. By varying the assessments I am better able to judge everyone’s progress.
· I believe parents/families must be part of a successful learning team. Education today must be a “Team” effort and the family is a key part of the team. It is my responsibility to make the contact and connection with the family and ensure they are kept informed of their child’s progress towards meeting standards. Just as important I must make sure parents always feel a crucial part of the “Team”. I do this through home visits, constant communication (when things are going well and not so well), and being receptive to their ideas of how to teach their children.