What I value in my classroom 

A safe learning environment

It's hard to learn in a place where you don't feel safe. By incorporating predictable routines, daily community building, restorative behavior management practices, and encouraging curiosity, students feel that the classroom is a place they are able to take risks and be themselves. 

Meeting students where they are

I've learned that I need to meet students where they are.  It is unrealistic to expect all students to learn in the same way and at the same pace.  For this reason, I differentiate learning by incorporating small group instruction and making use of technology to challenge students within the context of their own individual educational journey. I see each learner as an individual and do everything in my power to not let any child "slip through the cracks." 

growth mindset

A term coined by Dr. Carol Dweck, growth mindset pertains to the beliefs we have about our own intelligence. People who exhibit a growth mindset are constantly trying to learn and grow to better themselves. These are individuals who enjoy challenges and believe that their intelligence, talents, and basic abilities can be enhanced through hard work and dedicated effort.

This mindset permeates itself in our classroom on a daily basis. Classroom policies allow for students to retake assignments or assessments so that they can continue to grow and learn.

​On any given day, if you walk into our fourth grade class you can hear students saying the magic word, "yet." Rather than "I don't get this", or "I'm not good at science", students transform their attitudes by saying, "I don't get this 'yet'", or "I'm not good at science 'yet'".