I like to joke that I am the VERY best kindergarten teacher in our whole town. I'm also the worst...the oldest...the youngest...the tallest...the shortest and so on. While I am the ONLY kindergarten teacher in our school, I am not the only choice you have. You could select a private school, or homeschool, or move to another town, but you are trusting ME to start your children off right. Thank you for your trust.
I've had the privilege of teaching kindergarten at our lovely little school for the past 22 years. In that time I've been continually striving to be the best kindergarten teacher I can be. To that end, I'm committed to continual professional development and ongoing self evaluation. Each summer I reflect on what I can do to improve the experience I provide for my students and their families. Each winter I work to identify the unique passions, talents, and needs of my students to craft unique project based learning experiences. Every season finds me focused on being present and responsive to my students.
This approach has earned me some critical acclaim. I was awarded an National Semi-conductor Innovative Educator award in 2000 for creating an interactive, on-line talking alphabet book. That began my interest in meaningfully integrating technology into instruction. I achieved my National Board Certification in 2012. That process required me to submit four portfolios along with videos of my teaching to a review panel and subject it to rigorous scrutiny. I received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science teaching (2013) and traveled to Washing DC (2014) for the awards ceremony and professional development at the National Science Foundation. I served on an panel for a commission on education for children aged 0-8 years advising members from the National Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Science. I'm one of about 30 Skype Master Teachers working collaboratively to help students and teachers improve global citizenship and use communication technology to open classrooms to the world. I have a world wide network of outstanding experts as part of my professional learning community that inspires me to keep on learning.
All of the credentials in the world, however, would be meaningless if not for the most important ingredient in our classroom: love. I do my best to connect our learning to what my students love. That may be engineering, technology, connecting with others, art, nature, legos...I'll use those passions to make learning meaningful. It's not just love of content or learning that matters, however. I must admit it. I fall in love with my students year after year. I take the time to really know them. When I know a child's favorite color...their family structure...their pets...and ultimately their passions, I can connect to them in a very meaningful way. A personal and caring connection makes all the difference in the world. I hope you take comfort in the fact that when I interact with your child I may be funny or compassionate or even strict...but it is always with their best interest at heart and ALWAYS from a place of love.
I've had the privilege of teaching kindergarten at our lovely little school for the past 22 years. In that time I've been continually striving to be the best kindergarten teacher I can be. To that end, I'm committed to continual professional development and ongoing self evaluation. Each summer I reflect on what I can do to improve the experience I provide for my students and their families. Each winter I work to identify the unique passions, talents, and needs of my students to craft unique project based learning experiences. Every season finds me focused on being present and responsive to my students.
This approach has earned me some critical acclaim. I was awarded an National Semi-conductor Innovative Educator award in 2000 for creating an interactive, on-line talking alphabet book. That began my interest in meaningfully integrating technology into instruction. I achieved my National Board Certification in 2012. That process required me to submit four portfolios along with videos of my teaching to a review panel and subject it to rigorous scrutiny. I received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science teaching (2013) and traveled to Washing DC (2014) for the awards ceremony and professional development at the National Science Foundation. I served on an panel for a commission on education for children aged 0-8 years advising members from the National Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Science. I'm one of about 30 Skype Master Teachers working collaboratively to help students and teachers improve global citizenship and use communication technology to open classrooms to the world. I have a world wide network of outstanding experts as part of my professional learning community that inspires me to keep on learning.
All of the credentials in the world, however, would be meaningless if not for the most important ingredient in our classroom: love. I do my best to connect our learning to what my students love. That may be engineering, technology, connecting with others, art, nature, legos...I'll use those passions to make learning meaningful. It's not just love of content or learning that matters, however. I must admit it. I fall in love with my students year after year. I take the time to really know them. When I know a child's favorite color...their family structure...their pets...and ultimately their passions, I can connect to them in a very meaningful way. A personal and caring connection makes all the difference in the world. I hope you take comfort in the fact that when I interact with your child I may be funny or compassionate or even strict...but it is always with their best interest at heart and ALWAYS from a place of love.