Learning is a constant process. Every interaction and conversation can be a learning experience if one is tuned in to the possibilities. One of the things I appreciate about teaching is there is always something new I am learning, whether it is about my students or the subject matter I am teaching. I am strongly committed to being a life-long learner and hope to foster this notion within my students as they navigate their own education in and out of the classroom. Developing life-long learners requires engaged students and the right setting. A welcoming and comfortable environment, ample supplies and tools with which to experiment, all set the stage for learning. Focusing on individual student needs and truly learning about who they are as learners and individuals will help the students feel included and connected to their peers and to me, the teacher. Delivering rich lessons and clear instructions with humor and caring will keep students on the right track and provide a classroom where learning becomes an essential part of the lives of my students.

A true teacher is tuned in to student learning on several levels. I see learning as a reciprocal process in which I learn from my students as much as they will learn from me and intend to promote this idea of learning in my own classroom. By providing leadership through facilitation and direct instruction and modeling expected behavior, I hope to maintain an environment that supports learning and enables the students to eventually take leadership roles in teaching their peers. Some of the most insightful lessons I have taught were lessons where students provided most of the instruction and I facilitated discussion. Freeing my students to become involved in their learning requires deeper understanding of their lives outside of school, for knowing who they enables me to teach my best. Because learning is not a one-way process, taking time to reflect on each lesson and the results will enable me to maintain perspective when things do not go quite as planned. Although it is hard to remember sometimes, everyone has those days and each morning is a "do over", a chance to do better for the students and for myself.

As a teacher of multiple subjects, I am challenged to find new and interesting material to bring to my students, as well as finding new ways to provide instruction in a developmentally appropriate way. Making sure that each student has the opportunity to learn at their own pace, seek guidance when needed and even sometimes accept the helpful nudge in the right direction. I believe it is important to understand the greater cultural and societal context of reading, and as I work to bring the joy of reading and writing to all my students I hope to help them see their own lives within the written word. I believe that it is important to find out the learning styles that best fit my individual students, and it is my goal to work cooperatively with each student to match their learning needs. There is a vast amount of pressure on students for scholastic success from teachers, the governemnt and their families. With easy access to information on the Internet, these demands can cause students to make hasty choices. Out of all the skills I teach throughout each year, I hope to help my students become persons who value integrity and the power of their own actions, their education and written words.

To be successful learners, students need to take ownership of their education. I believe if a student is given responsibility for their own learning they will be more engaged and more likely to become personally invested in what they learn. I am dedicated to promoting self-regulated learning in our classroom. Along with responsibility for learning is the opportunity to come up with the wrong answer. Mistakes are good things, for from mistakes often comes the best learning. By getting the answer wrong from time to time, I hope my students will consider different paths to the true answers they seek. I want to encourage my students to think outside the box, come up with new ways of looking at old ideologies and pose informed questions about their world. As the cultural face of our classrooms change, it is important to me to explore the similarities and differences and to foster a multicultural understanding. Through all curriculum presented in the classroom, I will attempt to bring this message to my students. Through discussion, exploration and a bit of humor, I hope to infect my students with my enthusiasm for many different subjects, mathematics, expressive arts, science, social science, reading and the fun of writing.

I have chosen teaching as a career for many reasons. Teaching requires a willingness to learn, develop and change. Teaching demands whole-hearted dedication and a love for the people who cross your path each day. Most importantly, teaching provides me with an opportunity to shape the world into a better place, one person at a time.