Hi everyone! I am a secondary teacher majoring in Social Studies and minoring in Inclusive Education. I am a cup-half-full, creative and passionate individual who seeks to make all things as inclusive as possible. I am committed to life long learning and continuing my understanding and education surrounding truth and reconciliation for myself and students.
My Teaching Manifesto
My relationship with education is not concrete. Each day it seems like I find new meanings and understandings of what education is and what I want my relationship with it to look like. One thing I know for certain is my passion for working with and learning from our youth. If nothing else, my students will leave my classroom knowing that they have someone who cares about them, who they can rely on, and who will show up. My classroom will celebrate every success, no matter how small- a safe place to make mistakes and use them as learning opportunities.
My classroom will go further than the four walls, spreading into the school and our communities. I am committed to truth and reconciliation, where silenced experiences and perspectives will be shared. When I imagine my classroom, I don’t know how it will look; I want to believe that the students who fill the room see themselves represented. However, when I imagine my classroom, I see students who know that they can breathe for at least the next 60 minutes of their day in my classroom. They can be themselves, take risks, and be creative.
I often think about Rita Pierson’s TedTalk Every Kid Needs a Champion. In her speech, she tells her students, “I am somebody, I am somebody when I came, I’ll be a better somebody when I leave, I am powerful, I am strong, I deserve the education I am getting,” and that is exactly the words I tell myself and will tell my future students because when you say it enough, it becomes a part of you.
-Ms. Hembroff
“Every Kid Needs a Champion”