27 - 28 Teacher of the Year

My philosophy of teaching focuses on using positivity and patience to strengthen a child’s individual identity, to foster a relationship with each student, as well as their family, that creates a lifelong bond. As a teacher and parent, I believe the first thing a child learns from a healthy relationship with an adult is trust, and it is my desire and my pride to bring the highest level of trust to each child and parent.

Through the use of positive reinforcement, each and every student has the unique ability to feel loved, supported, and heard.  When this happens, learning can be a process that is so organic to a child that they no longer have to try to learn. Instead, they find themselves captivated by the culture created within the classroom and learning has suddenly become second nature. Establishing this empathetic culture, which fosters equitable learning practices that will happen in the classroom, is vitally important. To do this, I create boundaries and structure, rather than specific punishments. I set expectations that are to be met, rather than rules that must be abided by. Once the structure is established, the classroom will run with ease, where all children will know what to expect at each moment of the day. It is this structure, coupled with an individual positive relationship, that greatly minimizes any behavior concerns, and promotes a classroom where learning is treasured, and each student is valued.

This equitable learning, that should come so naturally, is brought forth from my gradual release structure and implementation of high-quality Tier 1 instruction, for every subject throughout the day. The students know exactly what is expected of them. They will meet all together, down on the rug, consistently promoting a “family unit”. They must always remember we are all in this together. They will see me perform a specific skill acquired from our Gwinnett County AKS, then we will do it together. Once we have done this, they know that it is their job to complete this skill on their own. In order to promote learning for all, I incorporate differentiated instruction during this independent work, which is based on misconceptions observed through informal and formal assessments. This differentiated instruction allows me the opportunity to not only continue to model the specific skill, but also model a growth mindset, which I desperately want for every child in my class. It is my desire to be able to have individual time with as many students as I possibly can each and every day. In all aspects of education, I always am promoting relationship building, which I believe trickles down over everything else. If a child has a personal, trusting relationship with you, he or she will be excited to speak with you, and through this will be excited to become highly educated.