Who Am I?
As an educator, I know who I am and where I come from. I understand how these things have affected my life experiences and will have an impact on my students. I will display empathy to my students as I recognize that I may not have the same shared experiences as them.
“A relationship with the one you are trying to teach, lead, or love is where all the power lies.” – Dr. Jody Carrington – Kids These Days
My biggest philosophy in teaching is building relationships with my students. I believe that students perform best for the teachers that have gone the extra step to make connections and build relationships. Students will rise to your expectations if there is mutual respect and clear expectations within the classroom.
“Every time you hear yourself say that kid is attention-seeking, try to replace that phrase with that kid is connection seeking and see what happens.” – Dr. Jody Carrington- Kids These Days
In many situations, the school can be an escape for students from what is going on at home. Before we as teachers are quick to judge when a student is misbehaving, it is important to look at what might be causing these behaviours. Kids may just be looking to make connections and feel safe. As teachers, we must be willing to make these connections with students as we may be the only ones in their lives willing to do this.
“Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” – Bob Talbert
My job as a teacher is not only to teach what is in the curriculum but also to teach my students what is important in life. Things such as kindness, empathy, respect, generosity. I will teach my students about inclusion and accepting everyone for who they are. I will also make it my goal to incorporate Indigenous knowledge in many aspects of my teaching as I believe that education is one of the biggest parts of Reconciliation.
Areas of Growth
As a future educator, I want to develop my own teaching strategies for getting students’ attention, strategies for developing ways to use the universal design for learning, and finding ways to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into all subjects.