Mission Statement

No man can be a good teacher unless he has feelings of warm affection toward his pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what he believes to be of value. -Bertrand Russell From my start as a long-term kindergarten teacher, to my position as a fifth grade teacher and now as a middle school Mathematics Interventionist, I have used this quote as one of my inspirations for my success as a classroom teacher. My first years of teaching have been truly remarkable and I have gained a wealth of knowledge to better myself not only as an educator but as a member of society. I am more excited to go to work than ever and have spent countless hours trying to find new and innovative ways to deliver the important strategies and concepts that my students need to succeed. Beyond the curriculum, I strive to instill in my students important values for life, a strong work ethic and most importantly, confidence. Each and everyone of my students I have had in previous years or have in my class this year hold a very special place in my heart. At the beginning of each year I take a great deal of time learning about all of my students as learners and also as people. I find out about their strengths and weaknesses as a student, their likes and dislikes as a person as well as their learning styles and multiple intelligences. By midway through first quarter I have a strong understanding of all of my students and will continue to learn more about them as the year goes on to improve upon my whole class and individual instruction. Classroom management is very important to me and any knowledge I am able to take away from this program to improve upon the skills I already have as a leader would be a tremendous help. I feel that confi-

dence is a major component to a student's success so I would also like to come out of this program with a better understanding on how to keep students motivated through out an entire school day as well as an entire school year. In addition to this, I would like to become equipped with a variety of ideas to help motivate my students and build upon their selfesteem. Inspiring my students to become life-long learners. Building upon my goal outside of the classroom, I would like to become a better asset to my grade level team and my district. My main focus is to become a strong, focused leader for my grade 6-8 team that they can look to for support. At all times I would like to be able to ensure everyone is on the same page as far as what we are teaching and what we expect from our students. Being able to provide my team with new, innovative ways to improve their students' education would be a great outcome of this program. I would also like to be able to carry over the motivational skills I used in my classroom to my grade level team to inspire and keep them motivated all through out the school year. Just like my students, making them want to also become life-long learners. Ultimately I would like to become a school principal. With the motivation for success and compassion I have for children I have now along with the knowledge and experience I take away from this program, I feel that I would make a very successful and inspirational principal to students and teachers alike. I look forward to gaining experience as an administrator and how to help my school's well-being from an administrator's role. Helping students whenever possible in and out of the classroom is something I truly look forward to as a principal. As a principal I would like to learn about all the roles and responsibilities of a principal and be able to improve upon them to make a stronger, more successful school setting. I would provide a large variety of opportunities to personnel to continue their professional growth. I would also

support and encourage my professional staff to use innovative strategies and incorporate the use of new technology into teaching and learning activities. Beyond improving upon the curriculum I find it important for principals to be constantly researching about ways to make a school more inviting and exciting to be at. Have events like dances, celebrations/parties and parent nights that students can work towards to earn an invitation to. Also, have a number of clubs/teams that students can join to broaden their horizons and give back to society as well as learning about everything the club has to offer. These clubs/teams could include fitness clubs, environmental clubs, academic subject clubs, foreign language clubs and many more.