Faculty |
Junior High Teachers
Mrs. Lynn Bala
Teaching Philosophy and Educational Approach: I believe that students learn best when they are immersed in literate activities and are engaged in thoughtful discussions about them. I choose to view each student as an individual that comes to the classroom with their own unique store of background knowledge that they use to connect and make sense of new information. As a teacher of reading and writing, I understand the importance of developing the student’s metacognitive awareness and their ability to think critically; skills necessary to confidently read and understand complex material. My role is to model strategic ways of thinking, clarifying these often difficult tasks. With this in mind, my ELA classroom is designed to concentrate on four main areas; literary fluency and comprehension, writing for specific purposes, speaking and vocabulary development, and conventions of the English language, and allow time each day for students to collaborate and reflect on what they have learned. Visit Mrs. Bala's website Email Mrs. Bala Mrs. Tiffany Kwiatkowski Teaching Philosophy and Educational Approach: Coming Soon! Visit Mrs. Kwiatkowski's website Email Mrs. Kwiatkowski Mrs. Beth Anne Dolph Philosophy and Educational Approach: In every Spanish course that I teach, my goal is always the same: to offer each student the opportunity to learn in every class session. In the language classroom, learning opportunities are intertwined with communicative goals, a particular challenge when the means of communication are the very subject of study. To meet this challenge, I focus my teaching on maintaining three key elements in the classroom: engagement, enthusiasm, and excellence. Language students are often hesitant to participate in class because they are afraid of making mistakes. In order to engage students in their learning and not their fears, I dedicate a portion of each class to small group or pair conversations. While students talk about the day’s topic, they get to experiment with the language while communicating with their peers, increasing participation and overall engagement with the class. As a result, students are more open to the opportunity to learn. Visit Mrs. Dolph's website Email Mrs. Dolph Ms. JoAnn Martina Teaching Philosophy and Educational Approach: As a teacher of Religion, there are a couple of things I try to accomplish for my students; a positive atmosphere, access to a caring individual, and mutual respect. Students work hard to earn their grades. My task as a teacher is to facilitate their learning process. Students should become involved in Church Ministry, and service to others. We should together work toward building a Faith Community, and live the Gospel in our daily lives. Visit Ms. Martina's website Email Ms. Martina Mrs. Megan Schnerle Teaching Philosophy and Educational Approach: I believe....... --> Education is a journey, which challenges you to struggle and break through obstacles in order to pursue and become caring, knowledgeable contributor. -->Math is an art all of its own and each student has the ability to interpret and create each concept and make it their own -->Every child has their own gift to offer each subject and classroom -->The best place for learning comes from an encouraged and positive environment where students feel accepted and respected. -->Technology, group work, and active learning enriches and motivates the mind to absorb concepts, ideas and skills that better prepare students for life. -->It is important to dress the part of a professional because as an educator you are a role model and example for the future. -->Communication and Collaboration amongst parents, colleagues and administrators allows each individual student receive the best education. Visit Mrs. Schnerle's website Email Mrs. Schnerle Ms. Alyssa Perry Teaching Philosophy and Educational Approach: As a teacher, it is important that we create well rounded young adults to soon lead our future. I have grown to enjoy the art of teaching and helping each child learn to their specific needs. My goal is to continue teaching students in a fun and engaging way, while keeping my classroom a warm place children enjoy visiting. Not only will I focus my attention on academics, but also character education. It is extremely important to me as a teacher that we grow responsible students. All children should be presented with an equal opportunity to learn in the classroom. As an educator, I will strive to bring out the best in each student to make them each shine individually, even if this has to extend outside the classroom walls to extracurricular activities. I will be a role model to every student in a safe learning environment that promotes healthy growth and positive attitudes. I believe it is important to show and teach students that learning is fun and exciting in order to promote lifelong learning. Within the Science and Social Studies curricula, it is my ultimate goal for students to grasp onto the WHY of events happening around us, and to continue questioning the world around them. Curiosity is the key to learning and growing! Visit Miss Perry's website Email Miss Perry Mrs. Caroline Thomas Teaching Philosophy and Educational Approach: I believe that through Science the students will have a better understanding and appreciation of God’s creation of our universe and all that inhabit it. Through this understanding, the students will become better stewards of our world. In correlation with the Common Core Standards, the students will develop a better understanding of technical writing and respond through the use more technical vocabulary. Students will also experience simple engineering techniques within their Science classes. I expect my students to be respectful of others and of their ideas, to be responsible, self-disciplined, and to use their God given talents to the fullest. Visit Mrs. Thomas's website Email Mrs. Thomas Mrs. Kathryn Wagner Teaching Philosophy and Educational Approach: My teaching philosophy for general and exceptional education is that creating a stress free atmosphere in the classroom will help enhance learning. This promotes learning and enables children to feel like they can succeed in all subjects. I am a firm supporter in inquiry-based learning. It is clear that with exploring and discovery comes many questions. Questions are what makes our children curious and engaged. I encourage the use of questions with my students, with no intent to make them feel inferior. If a child feels like their input and curiosity matters, then they will feel comfortable and want to contribute to each lesson. It is equally important for the teacher to ask multiple comprehension questions so they know that it is time to move forward. Active discovery learning enables students to become independent. The classroom is one of the most influential places they visit, so it is crucial for the classroom to be welcoming and inspiring. Teachers should set reasonable guidelines: set reasonable standards for children, believe in all their students and never give up on any of them regardless of how long it takes; find a method that works! Educational approach: Teaching needs to relate to all learners, keeping in mind that everyone learns differently and at a different pace. I do not repeatedly utilize one instructional framework. In order to activate active listening multiple methods should be used: lectures, hands-on activities, use of manipulatives, and visual representations. It is necessary that all lesson plans are universally designed. This means that my lessons should guide the development of of all learners and accommodate each learners' differences. Visit Miss Wagner's website Email Miss Wagner Mrs. Laurie Hall Teaching Philosophy and Educational Approach: I believe that a classroom should be full of discussion, creativity, and excitement. It is a place where students construct their own knowledge through the guidance of their teacher. Learning is an active process and that is exactly how it should look in the classroom. I believe that making mistakes is an important part in learning. This allows children to realize that it is okay not to understand a new concept immediately, but in fact their mistakes help them reach a better understanding of the concept. Students should be given the opportunity to share ideas and knowledge with others through think-pair-share, group work, and class discussions. By explaining concepts to others, this can help students obtain a better understanding and gives students the chance hear information explained in a variety of ways. Visit Mrs. Hall's website Email Mrs. Hall |
