Statement of Beliefs

Students are humans too. They exercise trust and honesty when they feel they are in a caring environment. Just as adults, students take time to build rapport and confidence with their teacher. Students have days where it is harder for them to learn based on external factors. I believe as a teacher it is our job to remember this and support them with whatever learning needs they may have.

When supporting students, it is integral to be professional in practice. Students react well to having stable adults in their life. I believe it is important for teachers not to cross the line between a teacher and a friend, but also make sure the student feels supported in all aspects of learning.

The learning process looks, sounds, and feels different in each curriculum area and also for each student. I believe in respecting this process for my students and foster learning from where they are.

Learning at school is sometimes the only time students have for high quality enriching experiences. I believe it is up to us as the teacher to make them as valuable as possible for all our students. This connects to ongoing professional development as it is important to me to be able to connect to the students interests and inquiries.

My experience has shown that different teaching styles work for different children in different subject areas. I believe it is our job as a teacher to modify our teaching and assessment styles as much as possible to reach our students on different levels. This area of professional knowledge will allow my teaching to reach my students during all curriculum areas. 

I also recognize that students act as teachers to their peers and to their teacher. I believe learning with each other instead of learning from the teacher is what will foster a trusting environment. Students want to share their knowledge with their teacher, and a teacher should meet them at that knowledge and accept it. 

Learning with your students is connected to my third belief that teachers have more to learn every day. I believe in taking learning opportunities whenever they are given, regardless of the topic. Ongoing professional learning helps my students if I as the teacher keep learning too.

Schools are houses for knowledge, but it is the people that are inside them which make the knowledge transpire. Having leadership in the learning community will grow the learning in my classroom and across the school. I believe including family, community members and other school workers in classroom learning can allow students to feel included and as though they have a part in their learning environment. 

In school and classroom learning is not always the most conducive environment. I am a big believer in experiential learning. These include field trips, school wide experiences like spirit days, or presentations. If out of school learning is not an option, community volunteers and programs can bring experiential learning into the classroom as well.