Personal Mission Statement
It is my mission to live consistently
to model the possibility of growth
to encourage the journey of others
to do these things with courage, patience, care and most importantly, with love.
Who is your teacher? What does she value? Read below to get a few ideas!
Thoughts by Haim Ginott
Author, Educator, Speaker(1922-1973) I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool for torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is MY response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized. Thoughts on Writing
Some people communicate through paint on canvas, some through music on violins or pianos; I love to use words, because when they work for me, my spirit soars. – Nedra Van Gombos |
Each child is living the only life he/she has – the only one he/she will ever have. The least we can do is not diminish it.
– Bill Page
ATTITUDE BY CHARLES SWINDOLL “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church …a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” |
ESSAY ON TEACHING STYLE
TEACHER OF EXCELLENCE AWARD - Linda Van Gombos
Teaching is about making the abstract into the concrete. While this seems to be a simple process, it is extremely complex. Regardless of curriculum, irrespective of home life, in spite of prior opportunities, kids walk in my classroom door with the hope that I will find a way to turn their abstract worlds into places that makes sense to them. I do not think they truly care what subject I teach, math, science, music, language. They care that I will offer some way for that magical process of learning to happen. With that understanding, my teaching style is focused on creating an environment in the classroom where students have the opportunity and freedom to learn.
Throughout the year I share with my students the fact that there is no more powerful tool in their life arsenals than successfully mastering the art of language. It is my job to help them get there in a meaningful way. As their teacher, I must find the method which will work for them to bring out their love of writing, of speaking, of exchanging words. As a result, we write every day. We exchange ideas and argue and defend our positions every day. We share new thoughts and new ways of approaching problems every day. Most importantly, we laugh with each other every day. In my classroom, students learn that learning itself is a joy. Students learn that their ideas have value and meaning, and my classroom is a safe place to share those ideas. They learn to respect and treasure their individuality. My style as their teacher is to diligently work at discovering and uncovering their gifts with them, and figuring out what students need to move them forward safely in their lives.
Thus, I learn with them. We change and grow together. We treasure that process together. We love it when it is loud and wild. We love it when the process is quiet and introspective. We love it when it is serious or bubbling over with laughter. I love to see them experience and seek those learning opportunities on their own. My teaching style is to honor whatever those students bring to the classroom.