Throughout my tenure in education, I have coached and collaborated with teachers and administrators and taught students from all four divisions of my current school, whether it be English Language Arts, Religion, Technology, Computer Science, Research, STEM or professional development.
I can passionately express that assisting students in exploration, research, discovery, and innovation remains the role I find most rewarding. Witnessing a student’s mind in action as they pose a question or discover a problem to solve in order to better the world is nothing short of magnificent. As they tap into prior knowledge, understand their personal roadblocks and how to integrate collaboration and research to fill in gaps, they are building a sense of self realization which creates humility and appreciation for others. The practice of searching for answers and transferring information and ideas into power and production is the professional sense we want this generation of learners to perfect. With this mindset, we can send them out into the world as change makers with the ambition to forage for truths, never ceasing to remain curious and question how this world and our community can constantly ameliorate. The students are forever encouraging and challenging me to continuously grow myself - we must exemplify lifelong learning if we expect it from our students.
Student focused learning principles which mimic real life experiences is the foundation of every unit, program, and educational design I have created. Mindset approaches to learning such as The Design Thinking Process, The Problem Solving Process and Project Based Learning are what drive my passion for research and the use of technology in education. These systematic approaches to learning and collaboration allow the students a safe environment to make mistakes and revise their work until the desired result is achieved. School should be about teaching grit and determination, about finding meaning and purpose in your work, and about establishing a purpose to make a difference.
