My Teaching Philosophy
I'm here to serve students and their families. Three beliefs shape how I do that.
Every child can learn — my job is to find the way in
All students arrive already curious and capable. My job is to be nurturing, kind, and observant enough to find the way in.
In a preschool disabilities classroom, progress comes in the smallest of ways — a word or a sound spoken for the first time, a skill carried over into a new setting, a child asking for an object they want, a "please" offered without prompting. You never know when a breakthrough will happen, which is why the noticing matters as much as the teaching. When one comes, it is a joyous occasion. I hold high expectations for every child, and pair them with the support they need to get there.
Inclusive classrooms benefit everyone
My background in special education shapes everything I do. I plan differentiated materials that serve each student best, and I leave room for every child to arrive at an outcome in their own unique interpretation. Designing that way from the start means accommodations are built in rather than bolted on, and no child has to be singled out in order to be included.
When I work with families, specialists, and colleagues around a student's IEP, I treat the plan as a shared roadmap rather than a checklist. I also sit in on IEP meetings as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking families — which has taught me that a great deal of inclusion is simply making sure a parent understands, and has a voice in, what is being decided about their own child.
Relationships and community come first
Learning happens in the context of trust. I work to build a warm, predictable classroom where children feel safe to take risks, where routines give structure, and where each child feels seen. When a family can reach me in the language they are most comfortable speaking, that trust comes a great deal faster. Strong relationships with students and their families are the foundation that makes everything else possible.