I believe that every child I interact with is creative, unique, capable of solving complex problems, and worthy of attention, love, and respect. These beliefs shape both my typical interaction with kids and how I respond to them in a learning environment. I also believe that students learn best when they feel safe and cared for. In my classroom environment, this looks like clear boundaries around bodies, materials, and emotions, as well as predictable structure and permission to be wrong and messy when learning something new. 

My teaching style revolves around the individual student. Since my experience is mostly centereed in Special Education classes, I have usually shaped by skills around what a certain student needs. I do this so that each student can feel supported and comfortable when I am working with them. Within small group settings, I work well with demonstrations anf short activities. I follow an “I do, We do, You do” flow. This allows the students to see a model, try and be supported, and then try on their own. 

To asses student learning, I observe their processes. I look for evidence of thought as opposed to guessing, and I look for ability and understanding through accuracy and repetition.