BEING MORE THAN JUST A TEACHER
To be an outstanding teacher you must have passion for children and for their education. An outstanding teacher will go above and beyond for their students, and the students must know that the teacher cares for them deeply as individuals. It is not enough to just show up to class everyday and have a good management plan, but you must put your heart and soul into what you are doing. I spend as much time I can learning about the kids, the parents, and the rest of the community. I will often volunteer for community events; such as leading the haunted hallway for the Fall Carnival, or running a table at an ice cream social. When I lived in the small village of Shaktoolik I was outside playing tag with the kids, hosting movie nights for the elementary students, and running a capture the flag league in the gym on weekends. The students throughout the school and in my classroom knew I cared for them very much and in turn they respected me as a teacher and their mentor.
To be an outstanding teacher you must have passion for children and for their education. An outstanding teacher will go above and beyond for their students, and the students must know that the teacher cares for them deeply as individuals. It is not enough to just show up to class everyday and have a good management plan, but you must put your heart and soul into what you are doing. I spend as much time I can learning about the kids, the parents, and the rest of the community. I will often volunteer for community events; such as leading the haunted hallway for the Fall Carnival, or running a table at an ice cream social. When I lived in the small village of Shaktoolik I was outside playing tag with the kids, hosting movie nights for the elementary students, and running a capture the flag league in the gym on weekends. The students throughout the school and in my classroom knew I cared for them very much and in turn they respected me as a teacher and their mentor.
PERSONALIZED LEARNING
Each student that enters into my classroom comes from different backgrounds and varying levels of proficiency. Each student deserves to have an educational experience that fits their strengths and weaknesses rather and builds off of their interests. In my 9 years as a Kindergarten teacher, I have learned the importance of personalized learning in my classroom. Personalized learning is more than just differentiation and small group instruction but a classroom model that provides students opportunities to make choices within their education and problem solve through inquiry based learning. Within each section of my schedule students are free flowing throughout the room making choices through the use of "Must Do's" and " May Do's". Students are able able to chose activities and projects that fit to their needs, interests and skills. Students are able to reach learning goals through several different paths all the while I am facilitating small group instruction and check ins. Students are able to collaborate on activities and are encouraged to find new ways to complete tasks.
Each student that enters into my classroom comes from different backgrounds and varying levels of proficiency. Each student deserves to have an educational experience that fits their strengths and weaknesses rather and builds off of their interests. In my 9 years as a Kindergarten teacher, I have learned the importance of personalized learning in my classroom. Personalized learning is more than just differentiation and small group instruction but a classroom model that provides students opportunities to make choices within their education and problem solve through inquiry based learning. Within each section of my schedule students are free flowing throughout the room making choices through the use of "Must Do's" and " May Do's". Students are able able to chose activities and projects that fit to their needs, interests and skills. Students are able to reach learning goals through several different paths all the while I am facilitating small group instruction and check ins. Students are able to collaborate on activities and are encouraged to find new ways to complete tasks.
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY
Thanks to an increase in the rigor and academic requirements in kindergarten; many classrooms have moved away from any sort of play to meet the increasing demands on kindergarten students. I believe play is very important for all ages but especially important during early elementary. Education needs to be more than just hitting academic standards. Many students enter into school low social and emotional development and if we are not guiding our students to develop socially and emotionally they will not be prepared to be successful in the workforce. By providing students opportunities to learn through play based centers they are given opportunities to solve problems, learn about their emotions as well as others, and celebrate each others individuality.
Thanks to an increase in the rigor and academic requirements in kindergarten; many classrooms have moved away from any sort of play to meet the increasing demands on kindergarten students. I believe play is very important for all ages but especially important during early elementary. Education needs to be more than just hitting academic standards. Many students enter into school low social and emotional development and if we are not guiding our students to develop socially and emotionally they will not be prepared to be successful in the workforce. By providing students opportunities to learn through play based centers they are given opportunities to solve problems, learn about their emotions as well as others, and celebrate each others individuality.