Question: Given the tenuous future of school libraries, how will you ensure that your students develop the research skills they need?
Since school libraries seem to be disappearing, it’s more important now than ever to make sure students still develop strong research skills in the classroom. I want to teach my students how to find reliable sources, evaluate information critically, and use a variety of different research methods in a way that feels natural in our lessons. Digital literacy is just as important so I want to show them how to recognize credible sources and avoid misinformation. I always want to encourage curiosity through inquiry based learning and I think that will help them become independent researchers. Additionally I will provide structured research projects that I can help to guide them through and give them hands-on practice. Finally, we’ll have discussions about misinformation so they learn to think critically about the information they come across every day.
Question: How will you create a classroom culture in which parents and students feel that they can talk to you about their safety concerns?
I will create a classroom where parents and students feel comfortable discussing safety concerns by having open and honest communication. When something does happen, I will reach out to parents right away with updates because I want to make sure they never feel left in the dark about their child. I will address student conflicts immediately, involving everyone affected in the consequence process so they feel heard and understand the outcome. By consistently reinforcing safety as a priority and that students and parents are always welcome to voice their concerns, I will try and build a foundation of trust and mutual respect with my students and their parents so I can have a supportive and transparent classroom.
Question: Whether we like to admit it or not, the myth of the normal child affects our perceptions of our students. How will you challenge this myth in your own practice?
The idea of a “normal” child is unrealistic because everyone learns differently. All children have the potential and the right to learn at school and it’s our job to help them find where to channel it. When I’m a teacher I want to focus on creating an inclusive classroom and not just aiming for the majority and overlooking those who might learn differently or need more challenging activities. To do this I will try and use different teaching strategies, offer choices in how they show their learning and provide flexible assessments that are actually meaningful to the individual. Instead of expecting students to fit into predefined expectations of what they should be, I’ll adapt my teaching style to support them in discovering their own strengths and improving on their less strong areas.