My educational philosophy is derived from blending best practice from special education, social emotional learning, applied neuroscience, science of learning and development and child development theory, resulting in a whole child approach. The whole child approach embraces a holistic approach that incorporates the voices and experiences of families and the community into creating learning environments and experiences for students.   I align with the concept of “children do well if they can” (Ross Greene) and therefore work to understand the lagging cognitive skills that impact the student’s ability to comply with expectations.    When you understand the “why” behind the behavior you can engage in collaborative problem solving with the student thereby affording him//her with a voice in identifying and implementing interventions.  Creating safe learning environments with an absence of fear enables teachers and students to engage in authentic, relevant conversations that promote academic engagement.

Children don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care (Madeline Hunter) resonates with my beliefs about the significant of building positive relationships with students and staff.  Research shows us that the brain is hardwired to connect and the development of a caring relationship with at least one adult is essential for healthy brain development.  Unconditional positive regard is a way to build positive relationships that extend compassion to everyone, even if they have done something wrong.  It also includes the ability to accept and value one another without judgement.  This has a profound effect on providing equal opportunity for every child, so each child feels honored, valued and respected despite academic profile, racial or cultural affiliations.

Teachers and childcare providers need support in developing the needed skills to effectively engage with students and create a learning environment that supports the individual needs of every learner.  These trainings will provide participants with effective strategies to mitigate disruptive behaviors and develop a positive learning environment.  Understanding how to explicitly teach classroom expectations, differentiate instruction, employ strategies that promote self-regulation and deploy unconditional positive regard for every student will equip teachers with the skills necessary to succeed and help children thrive!