Mission Statement
At La Salle Academy, we have a mission statement that drives our entire faculty. The La Sallian mission is the foundation for my personal mission. As I enter the class room each day I abide by my own mission, derived from the spirit and beliefs of La Sallian schools around the world. My personal mission is to provide a safe, structured and challenging Catholic education in which each and every member within a diverse group of learners can be successful. I believe that each student has the ability to learn and it is my responsibility to develop ways to maximize each student's ability to learn. Whether it be through the modeling of strong moral and ethical values, or teaching students about about civic responsibility, it is my responsibility to motivate 21st century students to learn about the history of the United States and what it means to be a member of our ever changing, global community.
Philosophy
My philosophy on education is fairly simple. First of all, I believe that if learning is to take place, students must feel comfortable and safe in the classroom. An effective teacher can do this in a number of ways. My approach is to model respect for the students and expect that they are respectful to the teacher and their peers. Whether using a calm and soothing tone when speaking with students, being firm and fair when needed, or sharing a laugh with students, I feel it is imperative to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning.
I also believe that each student entrusted to my care has the ability to learn. My responsibility to the 21st century learner is to be a 21st century teacher! In order to remain at the forefront of technology and differentiation I feel it necessary to find ways to develop and expand my teaching techniques. As the students in front of me change every year, I have the responsibility of changing as well...it is the only way to continue to meet their needs. While many educators scoff at the prospect of professional development seminars, I feel as though it is an opportunity to expand my skills so I may continue to reach all my students.
As a United States history teacher, I feel it is important to teach students about what it means to be a citizen of the United States. Throughout the year my students are challenged to use critical thinking skills and analyze documents that offer information about how we have come to be who we are as a country. I feel it is appropriate to challenge all students through various forms of differentiated instruction. My students engage in web quests, roundtable discussions, create websites, perform plays and sing songs as ways of demonstrating student learning. Through the aforementioned tactics, students come to realize that the history of the United States is not all wine and roses, but we have to "own" our history, whether good or bad. By the end of the year, I feel as though my students learned, through a comfortable, challenging and engaging series of exercises, about what it means to be a citizen of the United States, and are fully prepared as they head into college.
I also believe that each student entrusted to my care has the ability to learn. My responsibility to the 21st century learner is to be a 21st century teacher! In order to remain at the forefront of technology and differentiation I feel it necessary to find ways to develop and expand my teaching techniques. As the students in front of me change every year, I have the responsibility of changing as well...it is the only way to continue to meet their needs. While many educators scoff at the prospect of professional development seminars, I feel as though it is an opportunity to expand my skills so I may continue to reach all my students.
As a United States history teacher, I feel it is important to teach students about what it means to be a citizen of the United States. Throughout the year my students are challenged to use critical thinking skills and analyze documents that offer information about how we have come to be who we are as a country. I feel it is appropriate to challenge all students through various forms of differentiated instruction. My students engage in web quests, roundtable discussions, create websites, perform plays and sing songs as ways of demonstrating student learning. Through the aforementioned tactics, students come to realize that the history of the United States is not all wine and roses, but we have to "own" our history, whether good or bad. By the end of the year, I feel as though my students learned, through a comfortable, challenging and engaging series of exercises, about what it means to be a citizen of the United States, and are fully prepared as they head into college.