Top 5 Ingredients

My Top 5 is:

5. Interesting/Engaging Material: The subject material needs to be presented in an exciting way to keep the students engaged and wanting more. The students will be waking up each morning and be excited to come into class and see what new things they are going to learn today.

4. Fun: Mixed in with learning and education. doing things in a fun and exciting way whenever possible. Laughter is the best medicine. Having a sense of humor with everything in life makes it that much better. Students can think they are playing while they are learning. When school gets cancelled cause it snows, my students will be sad.

3. A Welcoming Environment: Students need to explore. They will feel like they can always say or ask anything, there are no dumb questions or answers. Everyone should explore their creativity and take risks, sometimes they work out and sometimes they don't...either way, everyone will congratulate each other on their effort and ideas.

2. Respect: Everyone should treat each other the way they want to be treated. Everyone should support each other. Everyone should help each other out if they are stuck and don't get whatever we are working on. Everyone should genuinely care about each others happiness and well being. We are not just a class, we are a family.

1. Safety: Safety first. Everyone needs to feel safe with everything we do. When they feel safe, they can start taking risks doing things outside of their comfort zones.

I believe children need...room to explore, someone to listen, rules (that we set together), play time, understanding, compassion, a helping hand, someone believing in them.

I believe teachers should...have the passion about a subject we want the kids to have, make sure the students are interested and engaged. Look around the room as they are teaching and make sure the students are interested in what they are teaching. Make things as interactive as possible. Make sure they are reaching everyone. Never give up.

I believe schools should...have a philosophy that is in line with their teachers' philosophies. Schools should have the materials and support to scaffold their teachers visions. Be a safe, accepting, and loving place for every student that attends. Schools should give the students everything they need to succeed.