Statement of Beliefs

My goal as a teacher is to help students grow as learners to the best of
their individual ability. Their success must always be measured against
the curriculum, and certainly not against another student.
Accommodations are necessary, and may actually be preferred if that
means a student can achieve the same objective in a way that will
showcase their knowledge in a more accurate and fair light.

Part of accommodating is being fair and equitable, and for these qualities to
be met in a classroom, the right environment must be created. My goal as
an educator is to bring a class together by creating an inclusive
environment within the classroom based on each student’s individual
progress. The goal is to create a classroom that grows and supports one
another, through both peer support and through individual attention to
each student. This also means that the classroom should be open and
welcoming to everyone, and allows students to feel safe to express
themselves and challenge themselves and take risks.

My lesson planning revolves greatly around the idea of the Universal
Design for Learning, this model could arguably be considered the best
available to teachers today. Embracing the students’ voices when planning
is an incredibly valuable tool to increase engagement, and UDL’s emphasis
on the school as the third institutional pillar in students’ lives is incredibly
important. Family and the community are just as important in the school
as the teachers are, and ignoring this trait would be extremely damaging
to the students’ potential learning.

A teacher must become a guide for students, so that they can explore and
inquire in ways that reflect their own values as individuals, and to help
foster growth as these students enter the world as members of society.
This individual growth and drive towards self-efficacy is paramount
when thinking of the student as whole people that will one day
contribute their own work to the world.