District 94 is interested in employing outstanding educators who add value to our mission. Please state how you will educate students holistically while providing them with a stimulating learning environment to achieve academic and personal excellence to become productive and respectful citizens of a diverse society.I firmly believe in educating the whole child. To me, this means creating ways to satisfy not only academic needs, but social/emotional needs as well. In order to do this, I will have a classroom that has clear expectations so the students are aware of what is going to happen on a daily basis. I do realize that you cannot plan every minute, but I set a clear structure so the students will be able to follow along and be flexible. My students will take part in setting up the rules so that it is fair and I will work on positive communication between them every day. In order to make sure my students are accepting, kind, open, and honest, I will have to model that behavior not only when I interact with them but also with my peers.

What do you need to know in order to begin your lesson planning?

When I first begin planning a lesson, I start with the common core standards. I need to make sure that I am attending to what the students should be able to do by the time they leave my classroom. After I have my standards together, I figure out what it is that I need them to learn throughout the lesson. I plan the essential questions and look for materials that will help connect my lesson to other subjects. My next step would be determining how to create the lesson so that the goal is developmentally appropriate while maintaining the standards the school district has set up for the grade level. I realize the importance of following the curriculum set up for the school so that each classroom is in synch and the transition to the next grade will be smooth. In order for the students to show they have grasped the concepts I am putting in front of them, they will have to produce samples of writing along with assessments taken from the curriculum or created from the state standards. I will create authentic assessments for my students. I feel it is best to create assessments that are both formal and informal to fully understand the students level. If a student is not achieving at a satisfactory level, it is time to reflect on my lesson and how I can make it attainable for each student. I will have to make sure that I am adding elements for visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and interpersonal learning in each lesson. I feel it is my obligation to meet the students needs at his or her level, but also creating challenging pieces as well.

When you think about your students, in what major ways do you want to influence their lives?

I hope to instill a lifelong love of learning in my students. As a young student,

I struggled to really engage in lessons. I had a difficult time listening to myteachers lecture and absorbing information. I learn best with hands on activities.

I made a promise that I would do my best to engage all learners when I began

teaching. I know that all students do not learn best the way I learn. There are so

many different methods to comprehend information. I want to make sure that my

students enjoy coming to school every day and feel that I have educated their

whole self.