MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
I teach children, regardless of grade, background, or social situation. Whether a student is 5 or 18, students deserve respect, encouragement, and most importantly a sense of care.
My previous teaching experiences have all contributed to the teacher I am today and the teacher I aspire to be later in life. In my past experiences, I have learned that students can't learn in a classroom environment that doesn't feel welcoming. Many of my previous students had troubled home lives, were dealing with divorce, and in some extreme cases had to deal with abuse and suicide. I have lost count into how many times I have donated my lunch to students who came to school hungry. As a former student, the teachers I remember having the biggest impact on my life weren't the ones who may have taught me the most, but the ones that cared for me the most.
Many of the experiences I have had with students have reinforced Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. For me, once a student receives a sense of safety, love, and self-worth then they can begin to learn. It is up to the teacher to create a classroom environment in which students look forward to showing up and learning. If you look at kindergarten and pre-school classes in today's schools you'll hear kids laughing every couple minutes. It is only as they progress through school that students begin to laugh less and become more stressed. I hope to bring back the laughs and get kids excited about learning once again.
I pride myself on being able to build classroom environments of positivity, self-worth, and creativity.
“EVERYBODY IS A GENIUS. BUT IF YOU JUDGE A FISH BY ITS ABILITY TO CLIMB A TREE, IT WILL LIVE ITS WHOLE LIFE BELIEVING THAT IT IS STUPID.” - ALBERT EINSTEIN
Too often students are seen as being the same. Some people believe all students should be taught, learn, and tested in the same way. However, this is one of the biggest tragedies in school. I pride myself on seeing students, not as a test score, or number on my attendance sheet, but for the individual that comes to school everyday different. I believe that without growth, innovation, and collaboration a teacher's ability to educate will wilt away. As an educator, I am learning just as much as my students. Everyday I try to make sure that I am stimulating the minds of every student in my classroom.
I work tirelessly to make sure every lesson, assessment, or project allows every student, no matter their strength, to show their true potential. After parents, educators have one of the biggest impacts on a child's life. I am educating students at the most important and influential part of their lives, so it is important that I don't just teach them facts and dates, but nurture their passions and dreams. I currently teach 138 students, who are all different. I know that I am not teaching 138 future politicians, policy-makers, or lawyers. However, I am teaching 138 soon to be adults, which is why it is important that I identify what makes each student unique and push them to their full potential of whatever they aspire to be. That is why in my classroom students will learn all the necessary tools to excel at whatever field of study they plan to go into in the future.