Delivering high quality instruction is a multi-faceted endeavor. It involves many stakeholders with whom I cooperate and collaborate.

In the forefront of my mind are the dreams, concerns, experiences, and culture that each student brings to the learning process.  I respect the varied lenses through which schooling might be viewed because such diverse fields of vision can enrich classrooms.  To ensure productive working relationships are created,  I utilize interest inventories at the beginning of the year, engage in authentic conversations with students outside of class time, and attend their extracurricular activities.  I set clear expectations and provide the support and means to achieve them.  In short, I communicate my genuine interest and belief in students’ futures.

I also reach out to parents and guardians via welcome letters, Parent Nights, and regular school-to-home communications. Parents/guardians are the experts on their children, and I welcome and value their perspectives.

Furthermore, through professional learning communities and thoughtful communication with colleagues, I strive to refine my craft and hone my abilities to deliver research-validated instruction.

Whether I have been out-of-state for a multi-day environmental camp with middle-schoolers or bolstering students’ literacy skills, I consistently seek to foster family and community  engagement:

–Samples of newsletters I wrote for high school parents:

Freshmen Parent Newsletter

Sophomore Parent Newsletter

–A welcome letter I sent home to middle school parents and students: Welcomenotetostudentsandparents.

–A Welcome Night presentation for high school students and their parents: ParentNightPresentation

Lastly, it is important to me that students take a moment to be proud of their accomplishments, both big and small.    Regularly, my students take a few moments to share their successes with their classmates.