Over the years I have had opportunity to practice the role of teacher and the role of student. This page is a reflection on some of the things I have learned in these roles and how I plan on integrating them into the classroom.

Becoming an advocate for living an all-inclusive active lifestyle is a core belief of mine that overlaps all teaching subject. I do not believe the key to a happy life is to simply be physically active but to be cognitively active, emotionally active, socially active, and spiritually active. Resources like the one below helped to solidify a value that is key to my teaching philosophy. 

The attachment below is a debate I took part in regarding ADHD in the classroom. Considering diagnoses such as ADHD was a helpful tool to deepen my understanding and consider how I might interact with a student who has ADHD. More then anything, learning about ADHD was helpful to understand as a diagnostic tool to help the student learn. I believe diagnoses can be interpreted as entrapping labels and, as a teacher, one of my responsibilities is to remind students that they are not stuck in a diagnosed 'label' but rather that they are given a diagnoses to be used to help them succeed as a learner. 

I was introduced to the joys of outdoor pursuits when I was in my first year of college. Since then I have learned much about the strengths of using nature as a teacher and as a classroom. After taking some classes on Indigenous studies, and reading about research on the strengths of nature-centered pedagogy, I continue to be persuaded that the outdoors is my ideal classroom. I am thankful that Physical Education tends to be outdoors on a regular basis, and I hope to do the same with my English classes. I believe learning in group reading circles, and acting out Shakespeare’s plays will be enhanced in these settings. The document below is a reflection I wrote on the dynamic and living classroom that the outdoors provides for teachers and students.