Instruction Is The Essence Of Education

I am an AACPS: 3rd Grade Teacher, Davidsonville Elementary | 2014 Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist.

Years ago I read a quote that forever resonated in my soul, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. “My hope is that I inspire! I have experienced many changes in the field of education, but my fundamentals have stayed the same. I believe in three key concepts: collaboration, instruction and scholarship. Collaborating with my colleagues, parents and students is an essential piece in facilitating differentiated, well-planned lessons that meet the instructional needs of every learner in my class. Every teacher has individual strengths, just like my students, and I value their input as I plan my lessons. Parents offer meaningful insight into their child’s strengths and weaknesses. I embrace how my colleagues, parents and students bring their own perspective, knowledge and experience to the planning table which creates well thought out lessons. Instruction is the essence of education. As an effective instructor, I must continually reflect on my classroom management techniques, how I differentiate my lessons, how I meet the instructional needs of each student and the value of technology embedded lessons. I constantly refine and improve my lessons to positively impact student learning by clearly identifying the lesson objective using strategies for effective student engagement and assessment options to measure student mastery, with an emphasis on formative and self-assessment. I am committed to creating culturally proficient lessons. My plan to further facilitate student performance is to engage in continual scholarship. I pride myself on being a lifelong learner. Teaching is a dynamic field; it is always changing and evolving. I embrace any and every opportunity to learn new innovations in our field to fulfill my potential as an effective practitioner. I plan to stay current and use research-based policies and practices to empower my students with strategies to persevere and advocate for themselves in today’s demanding and ever- changing world. I work each and every day to ignite the spark of curiosity in my students, and set them on a path for success in school and in life. I have a direct opportunity to make a difference, to change the future, and to impact a child’s life forever.