Educational Philosophy Statement

Educational Philosophy

…”the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.” – Carol Dweck

Being a father of three, there are few things more important to me than assuring my own children that I believe they can achieve excellence. No matter the goal or standard, set by them or me, they must know that I believe in them and that in time they will learn to believe in themselves. As an educator, my approach is no different. Excellence is the standard, and it is accessible to all. Whether student or adult, personal or professional, I truly believe all are capable of excellence. The challenge is getting others to believe in themselves. Just as I would expect no less than the best of my own actions and for my own children,

Imagine teachers creating frustrating and difficult situations with the purpose of assessing and also improving a student's ability to remain positive, cope, and be resourceful. Imagine teachers having the trust to release control of the class to the students to celebrate the bravery and confidence it takes to stand in front of peers and to have a voice or be different. Imagine teachers focusing on the experiences that bring out the non-academic qualities as much as the academic qualities in our children. When we move past traditional practices that focus solely on academia to also include emotional intelligence and collaborative skills, we better prepare our students for today's globally networked

Excellence for all requires personalization, and in the face of all this is practicality. Individualizing student pathways based on learning styles, emotional intelligences, and interests as well as utilizing the appropriate instructional strategies (differentiating) to assure success is no easy task. This requires each educator to be data driven, extremely collaborative, and forward-thinking. Bottom line, a willingness to attempt new endeavors must be present, especially with the rapidly changing landscape of education due to technology. The accessibility of the Internet through mobile devices has blurred the lines between teacher and student, and producer and consumer. Professional development opportunities streamlined by a hashtag are accessed as effortlessly as a student creating a YouTube video teaching projectile motion. As the exemplars of excellence, we cannot be bystanders. Our reach of excellence must go beyond the digital divide. We have a responsibility to shape our own digital footprints but also to let go and allow students the opportunity to shape their own. Whether it is blogging, tweeting, music production or, more recently the maker movement, the interaction between technology and creative expression must occur at both the adult and student