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"By teaching students to be reflective, empathetic, and great communicators, we provide them with the tools and skills that are necessary to thrive in an ever-changing society."

Good teachers join self, subject, and students in the fabric of life because they teach from an integral and undivided self; they manifest in their own lives, and evoke in their students, a “capacity for connectedness.”

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Children are Gods way of showing us His power and his purity. Even in their mistakes, they are able to bounce back. In their victories, they are joyful and full of life.

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Kids can learn! Sometimes, we have to help them realize that.

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Everyone is created to be in relationship with God, and because that relationship is broken as a result of sin, it leaves people feeling empty and broken. Our kids who don't know Christ as Savior and Lord don't have the peace that Christ offers, and we have the unique privilege and responsibility to be the aroma of Christ to them, in word and deed, even if it is not often explicitly sharing about him.

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Children have an unbridled imagination and will to create when they are young, We should cultivate that and help to make that something that is carried with them as they get older so it isn’t just laid away and forgotten when they reach other subjects and areas of study. I believe that the classroom should be a place where they can explore this creativity, experiment, and be free to make mistakes.

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I often feel that in an elementary classroom adults view children, especially young children as incapable of a lot of things. I believe that all learners are capable of learning, regulating themselves, and thinking for themselves.

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Children are special.
Children have lives beyond school.
Children have feelings.
Children are capable.
Children are unique.
Children need love and attention.
Children are made in God's image.
Children are beautiful.
Children have complex minds.
Children are exploratory.
Children need good adult mentors.
Children need time to process.
Children are more than their ability level.
Children experience hardships.
Children are smart.

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I believe that above anything else in education, it is important to view our students as created in the image of God. If we keep this idea in the forefronts of our minds, it will guide us to make the best decisions in lesson planning, instruction, extra support, and even misbehaviors. When we can constantly see the blessing that each student is and remember how much God loves them, I think as teachers, we will be slower to make assumptions and quicker to provide love and grace to them.

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Children desire to be seen. They want to form connections. They want to feel a part of a community and know that they are valued there. Children are complex and intelligent. They have gifts that are unique to who they are and all of those gifts are valuable.
Children want and need loving adults who see them as capable of achieving, no matter what circumstances they may be facing.
Teaching gives us a chance to share our passions and knowledge, and help guide children in discovering their gifts and what their passions are.
Teachers can create a long-lasting impact on children by how they make them feel in the classroom.

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Children are full of energy so we much match their energy. We also have to be empathetic of their feelings and thoughts about everything. We should be that caring mentor that they can come to for questions about our teaching but more importantly, life. Teachers inspire and love kids. Somedays a teacher can be the only person who greets a child, when their home life isn't good. Teachers can make such a difference in kids lives, more than the teacher knows most times. I still remember my all time favorite teacher from third grade. I once heard a story about a boy who was not very self confident and his teacher wrote him an encouraging note in elementary school. He kept it and years later, when he was killed in combat, tucked in his wallet was the note with the encouraging words from his teacher so long ago. My gram told me this story and it really touched me.

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Children need to have solid adult figures in their lives that make them feel safe and cared for. Too often children experience the opposite and that can later impact their relationships with authority figures, connections as adults, and even their own identities. I believe that teaching provides the opportunity to intervene in a child’s life. Teaching allows for us to show students this and to not just tell them but to back it up with action. Children need consistent adults that will be there to support them no matter what they do and will help them through what they have going on, or navigate the tough times in life while still pushing them to be the best they can be. Teaching provides the chance to show children that they can be more than what other adult figures have told them or made them feel.

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I believe that children deserve to be cared for and loved for who they are, modeled after the love of Jesus. We will have students who come from all kinds of different backgrounds and environments, and it’s so incredibly crucial for them to be able to come to school and feel comfortable and safe. We need to see our students as whole rather than just academically because there is so much more to them than just how well they can do in a subject area. I believe that children should be able to explore and express their unique talents and have the opportunity to grow and thrive in those areas as well.

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Students need an education that is geared towards their individual needs and allows them to continue to be their age. School is not meant to take away from a childhood, instead it should add into a childhood. With that being said learning should be made fun for children, while also teaching them what they need to know to succeed in the world. We should not rush children into growing up, instead as teachers we need to promote growth gradually.

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I believe that children need teachers and adults surrounding them that allow them to be true to themselves while also growing in their knowledge. I think it’s so important to create a caring and safe environment for children so they know they can make mistakes and grow through that. They also need to know that the teachers and adults around them care for them no matter what and that there’s always someone to talk to, so we should create a safe environment in which they can share whatever is on their minds. While teaching content is what school seems to be for, children need to know that it isn’t just an institution but a place where people care about every aspect of them, not just how much they learn or how well they scored on a test.

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Teachers need to take the time to really get to know their students. It is important for teachers to use a variety of teaching methods to meet the needs of all of their students. Also, connecting with students is very important. Student’s need to know that you care about them and cheer them on each and every day.

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Children also have good days, bad days, and personal issues. Having a relationship with our students comes first, teaching them what it is to be a learner comes second, and data comes last.

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Each student is unique in how they learn. They have different passions and interests. Different strengths and weaknesses. Students have different funds of knowledge. Students should never be compared.

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Students should both have the ability to create while also feeling like they can be creative. Kids need to be able to be kids so its all about messing up and learning how to correct those mistakes. If a child does not feel like they cannot be creative, it is limiting their ability to be a student and what they can do.

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Children are complex; they are full of emotions, the desire to learn, curiosity, and so many other things (that if listed would take up this entire page, I'm sure). However it is vital that teachers realize that those same complex students often have simple needs, in a sense. Students need to be heard. Students need to be understood. They need to be valued, and respected. And most importantly they need to be loved. As teachers, we also have those same needs and wants. If we as teachers can view ourselves as learners aside our students, then we put ourselves in a spot of empathy and understanding.

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I believe that we should always be encouraging our students to take risks, be creative, and find ways to relate to them. If we are more vulnerable with our students, they will connect with us and to the material on a deeper level. And when they feel safe in the classroom and comfortable with being themselves, they will be more willing to take risks in learning and be inspired to apply their creative side to their assignments.

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Before students can even begin to learn, they must feel loved and safe. Students' social and emotional needs need to be met before any learning can happen (hierarchy of needs). Only then can our students absorb what we are trying to teach them.

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Students should have the ability to explore and be active in their learning. They shouldn't be afraid of failing or getting "messy" through exploration and neither should we as teachers. Learning, finding, and play can all sound the same and that sound might be loud.
Teachers should actively know students and choose to seek out more knowledge of their students. If a child is acting differently today in a distracting manner the answer might not always be to discipline or tell them to stop. The "why" and the "who" should always be seeked out.

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I believe that children are whole people, coming into my classroom with their own wealths of knowledge and things to offer. With this in mind, I believe that as teachers we should seek to see things from our students’ perspectives and should treat them with love and respect always. I see cultivating a warm and welcoming environment as integral to this.

I believe that teaching should be a flexible practice. Meaning that it is always changing and adapting along with our students. Once we are done growing, changing, or adapting we cease to truly be teaching. I had a supervisor tell me that once you stop learning as a teacher, it is time for you to leave the teaching field. That seems harsh, but I found it to be such an important reminder that none of us are finished in our growth and that no lesson is ever perfect and that’s okay.

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Children are influenced by the people around them. We have the opportunity to invest in them well or to just do enough to get by.

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Children offer many new perspectives and it’s essential as teachers that we validate their thinking, questions, and curiosity! In order for children to want to learn, they need to feel heard, understood, and seen by the teacher. We need to thoughtfully respond to students’ input in ways that support their development of creative thinking and desire to be active participants in the classroom.

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Children need caring and empathetic teachers.

Children desire and deserve to be heard.

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The realm of education and educational technology has become a bandwagon, with teachers nationwide hopping onto fads without sitting down to think about the power or lack of power in the choice. We’re seeing Bitmoji classrooms, flexible seating, endless amounts of choice boards which are all great things. The thing is, not all students are going to thrive off of the freedom. Not all students do well with lack of structure. Not all students need the same things. As educators, the relationships we build with our students should inform us of their needs. Before making instructional decisions, these needs should be identified. I am seeing more and more power in understanding students now than ever before. Build those relationships!

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Teachers need look at the whole child and not just one piece of the issue or the one bad day that a child had. It is important to view each student as a whole.

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We are designed as relational beings and children cling to relationships for security. Being intentional about fostering a classroom community, individual caring relationships with each students, and building a relationship between home and school are ways that students can be surrounded by love and support from all angles.

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Children are unique and each student is different from another. As teachers we can never compare students to one another.

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The voice of a child should be treasured. What they say is a glimpse into their hearts and minds, and we must treat that information with the value that it is.

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It is the teacher’s job to create a comfortable, safe learning environment that fosters a love for learning in all students. We need to hold the belief ourselves that all students can succeed, in order to equip our students with the confidence to believe that of themselves.

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They are curious and instead of ignoring or short changing their questions, we should take the time to answer them and explore with them

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ALL children are capable.

ALL children deserve to be seen and heard.

Children are creative.

Students should be given the opportunity to explore their talents and abilities in the classroom.

Children are unique.

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Children are energetic each in a different way. Some students are more energetic when it comes to academics then others. Others are very energetic outside of academics.

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Teachers should provide engaging learning opportunities that appeal to all five senses so that all students can feel included in instruction.

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Children are very active and love hard, it's so important to be patient and understanding with them!

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Children are vibrant, curious beings that see the world in unique ways. They are diverse discoverers that all do and have the power to contribute great things to our world; big and small. They are knowledgeable and so often see things in ways adults cannot. Children are valuable.

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Every child is unique in myriad ways. They come from their own backgrounds, with their own personalities, with different sets of needs, and with very personal dreams. No two students are the same and so they should not be taught like they are.

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Children are active learners. One of the best ways to help them remember an important concept is to attach a movement to it.

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Teachers have the honor of helping students become learners, thinkers, and doers. I believe that the main role of the teacher is to create a community of belonging and love. Human beings were created in the image of God, which means that each one is unique, extraordinary, and needed. As a teacher, it's my job to bring these diverse learners together in a variety of ways. When we center our classrooms on acceptance and community, we invite all students into the learning process. I believe that a student can't truly learn if they don't feel loved or welcomed in the classroom. This first step is so crucial to building a class of world changers. From there, a teacher needs to remember that all students are different and learn in a variety of ways.

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Our children see us in a different way than we might think. We must be present in the best way we know possible; using our mind, body and soul to show them the real us. Showing a vulnerable side of ourselves makes students feel comfortable doing the same. Placing hope at the core of our school community provides encouragement and promotes clear thinking for the students as well as ourselves.

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"Building community is a slow and powerful process that can be shortchanged when compliance and control techniques are used" (Hertz & Mraz, 2018, p. 5).

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"Teaching should be tailored to the unique aspects of every child, and all children should feel powerful in their learning journey" (Hertz & Mraz, 2018, p. 5).