Aside from the financial incentive offered by Napa Learns, one of the reasons I enrolled in this program was to be able to learn, explore, and apply new information in my classroom on my own terms. There is nothing worse than district-mandated anything. I am trying to become the teacher who possesses the skills I hope to encourage in my students: purposeful, curious, innovative, and reflective. In all honesty, when, as part of this program, I was asked, "What are you passionate about in education?" I internally shrugged my shoulders. I love teaching, and I love seeing my students grow, but I don't spend my nights thinking about my job like some teachers do, and there's nothing wrong with that. I simply want to learn to do what I can to help prepare my kids to be successful, while at the same time, continuing to remind them that, ultimately, their success or failure is 100% up to them. My job is to help facilitate learning by creating a safe, rigorous learning environment. While I acknowledge that there are gaps in access to pretty much everything under the sun, I firmly believe in the adage "Where there's a will, there's a way." We all get out of life what we put in, and education, work, and relationships are no different. Hard work, effort, persistence, tenacity, and drive are traits that are not only to be encouraged, they are to be demanded. The sooner students understand this, the better off they'll be.
I will continue to explore and introduce new tools in my classroom, encouraging student voice and choice as often as possible. I will continue to make mistakes, learn from them, and do things differently the next time. I will expect that my students do the same.
I will continue to explore and introduce new tools in my classroom, encouraging student voice and choice as often as possible. I will continue to make mistakes, learn from them, and do things differently the next time. I will expect that my students do the same.