Teaching Philosophy

I am a professional educator who teaches all middle school students to think, respond and communicate about what they read.

As a professional, I will:

• Use "best practices" which are supported by research and experience.
• Belong to and involve myself with relevant professional organizations.
• Seek out professional development opportunities to support my growth as an educator.

As an educator, I will:

• Remember that I am not just teaching reading – I am teaching students. 
• Assess students in multiple ways in order to gain a better picture of their understanding and knowledge.
• Instruct students how to gain meaning from non-fiction texts, including primary sources.
• Design lessons that encourage high-level thinking.
• Create connections between areas of the curriculum.

As a middle school educator, I will:

• Design lessons that are developmentally appropriate and interesting for adolescents.
• Manage the classroom to assist students with their developmental transitions.
• Assist parents and students with issues related to adolescence.
• Remember that “rules without relationships result in rebellion.”

As a literacy educator, I will: 

• Remember that no matter their future decisions, ALL my students will participate in some way in our democracy and must be ready for their job as a citizen.
• Establish a classroom climate where students experience and practice democratic behaviors, cooperative decision-making, and critical thinking.
• Make lessons and provide readings which are relevant to the lives of my students.
• Teach students how to evaluate information critically and competently.
• Demonstrate how to manage the flow of information from a wide variety of sources.
• Model how to use technology to communicate ideas.