First and foremost, I believe in the power of positive relationships with students, rewarding the positives, and encouraging a safe learning environment where students can be themselves; this is why I teach. I believe it is imperative to teach tolerance, acceptance, and kindness. I believe every student can succeed; I also believe in differentiation and in accommodating as necessary.
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It is my belief that the most important thing we can do for our students, and the best way to form positive relationships with them is to help them to develop a love of reading through chosen texts. This is my central goal as an educator. I have spent much of my graduate student time studying the impact of chosen literature and independent reading. Students need high-interest, diverse books at their fingertips; this can be done through a vast classroom library. I believe in giving students time to read in school, in sharing my reading life with students, and encouraging daily reading habits. To foster this love of reading even more I share with my students weekly Featured Books, students share book recommendations with one another, students create book talk videos, book trailers, and #bookstagram projects on social media. Additionally, I have made it my mission to provide as many books as possible and am constantly adding to my classroom library through grants and Donors Choose. In 2017 I brought over $2,000 in new books for the classroom! These books fly off the shelves through our classroom checkout system (Classroom Booksource) and are well-loved! It is through the discussion of what we have read, and by me sharing what I have read, the characters that I empathize with, the causes that I care deeply about that are reflected in the characters I read, that I form positive relationships with my students. A comfortable learning environment is created and shaped by the discussion of great books. Success in reading is not only shown by the number of books students read, but also by the quality of their discussion, the improvements seen in their reading fluency, and the impact made on their ability to read, write, and speak clearly.
I also believe in a blended learning environment. Technology is ever-changing and can enhance engagement and the learning process so much if used effectively. I am comfortable and confident in my technology integration, but also believe that some traditional tools are still critical in a 21st Century learning environment. My students not only use Chromebooks and personal devices to create, design and write, but they also use Writer's Notebooks, printed novels, and pencil and paper. Technology cannot replace what works well, but rather, it can enhance it.
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