As a child, I played teacher with my sisters and anyone else we could find. As I grew up different experiences made me realize that teaching was more than a profession, it was a passion. I teach because I love the students and the relationships that get built. I use my life experiences and knowledge when teaching in the hopes that students will take the education that they eventually obtain and use it for the betterment of themselves and the world around them.
There is more to teach students than just curriculum. I strive to teach critical thinking skills, life-long learning skills, and problem-solving strategies. What happened? Could you do better next time? What have you learned from this? These are questions that I have used to encourage the development of these skills. Individual, group and whole classroom work are often employed to teach problem-solving skills. Restitution and class meetings are fundamental tools in building classroom community and continued re-evaluation of what worked and what didn’t are necessary to facilitate adjustments for greater success in building this community.
I am a firm believer in success for all learners. All students have the ability to learn and achieve success in their learning if they are given the necessary tools, adaptations or modifications. I have used Faye Bronwlie’s Inclusion Strategies and other Prior Learning Assessment strategies at the start of new units. It is encouraging to watch students realize that they actually knew something about the topic to be studied when they use the activating, acquiring, and applying strategies.
A good teacher is a “real” person first and an educator second. I think that students who see that their teacher is available and has a life outside of the school building feel more comfortable and confident in talking to them. It is important to be in my classroom at the start of the day to greet each student by name and end each day with a unique handshake or farewell. I like to say “Hi” to my students when I see them up town at the mall or at the park in the summer. I have coached and refereed basketball at Parkside, W.C. Miller and MCI, coordinated umpires and tournament volunteers for Altona Minor Baseball and was involved in teaching basketball skills for the Town of Altona for many years.
I value life-long learning and hope that through my own example, students will see that education is important. In the past I have attended Summer Institute Professional Development days that the Border Land School Division offers at the end of August, Mini-Fit at St. Boniface University, participated in mRLC co-horts in Math and ELA, and am a current member of the BLSD Joint Professional Development Committee. In the future, I would like to obtain my Post Baccalaureate or Master’s degree in Education with hopes of a future in curriculum development.