Our Team

My teaching philosophy is to provide a safe and caring classroom community for all children regardless of their cultures and abilities. I will help them to reach their highest potential to blossom and grow spirituality, emotionally, socially, and academically.

As a kindergarten teacher, my philosophy is to create a safe, nurturing, Christian environment where children can flourish academically, socially, and spiritually. I believe it is my responsibility to identify each child’s unique talents and abilities in order to provide a variety of learning activities, opportunities, and high expectations that will best fit his/her learning style. I will strive to bring enthusiasm and creativity to the classroom in order to develop in them the love of learning and the desire to become lifelong learners.

“It’s not what is poured into a student, but what is planted.” Linda Conway I believe the teacher’s role is to give children the tools to grow their own gardens of knowledge. The educator should plant the seed that develops into a love for Christ and learning. The teacher’s warmth and compassion will nurture the “seeds” to grow and succeed in the classroom as students.

To nurture the seed to grow, the teacher has to fulfill many additional responsibilities including: facilitator, counselor, researcher, learner, observer, janitor, messenger, cook, and problem-solver. These roles are ever changing because of the diversity of the students. It is up to the teacher to accommodate the differences in order for each child to be successful in his or her learning.

I believe an important role as an educator is to keep the family included in a child’s learning experiences at school. I have an open door policy and parents are always welcome in my classroom. I also keep open lines of communication and invite parents to visit with me before or after school, through messenger and telephone calls. Our school also has a weekly newsletter and I have a private Facebook page where I like to share photos and highlights from our room.

In my classroom, the students are challenged as active learners through content organized themes, integrated units, projects, group work , individual work , and hands on learning. l prepare and facilitate an environment that provides interesting, challenging, and fun choices for my students.

Teaching provides an opportunity for continual learning and growth. One of my hopes as an educator is to plant the seed that develops into a love of Christ and a love of learning in my students. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

I believe that God has created everyone to be unique and special. It is my responsibility to get to know my students so I can learn how to challenge, inspire, encourage, nurture, and teach them. It is my calling to create a safe environment where the students can grow spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and intellectually.

I see my role as being a leader and example to my students while guiding them through day to day activities. I will use curriculum and hands on activities to stimulate student learning and encourage questioning and investigating topics. Within a caring and safe environment, students will learn how to succeed and also how to learn from mistakes. I strongly believe teaching students that learning will not always be easy, and through reflection and not giving up they will grow and become the people God wants them to be.

As a teacher at Zion St. John, I desire to help students figure out who they are as children of God. I walk beside them as they learn God’s grace, love, and joy. My passion is to inspire children to dig deeper in their studies and take pride in their work. I want to motivate students to become lifelong learners. For me, creating a classroom environment filled with care, support, and fun is essential for learning to take place. I believe God created each person uniquely, and it is my job to help students develop their God given talents.