I became an educator over 20 years ago to help make education fun and enjoyable for students. I didn’t particularly enjoy school as a child and I noticed how teachers would turn a blind eye to meanness and bullying, and often be mean and harsh to students themselves. I wanted to be a teacher who would create a peaceful, loving, and supportive environment where students could grow in their confidence and discover their individual talents and skills.
My school is exactly what I dreamed of creating – a peaceful and loving learning environment. There is absolutely zero tolerance for bullying or meanness of any kind. We are a school where teachers don’t yell at students and students don’t get away with even slightly mean words toward each other. We spend a lot of time gardening and connecting to nature.
We celebrate each other’s strengths and talents. Any behavior issues are treated promptly with aim to help the student learn complete control and self-management of their actions. We are a school that empowers children to manage their school work, their emotions, their behavior, and take full responsibility of their actions.
I also love that our class sizes are small, no more than 12 students to 1 teacher. This allows for one-on-one instruction and a 100% student engagement rate.
It’s important so that all students have a chance to make a better life for themselves. If a child is born in a low-income neighborhood and can only go to school in that same area with other low-income families, they are much more likely to re-create that kind of life as they grow up since they are not exposed to anything else. Once a child can break out of that environment and experience a higher/better way of life, they will be much more likely to succeed in life.
I believe the government has had a monopoly on our children’s education for far too long and it’s long overdue that we give families a broader choice in education. With school choice, there is going to be a school for everyone. Big public schools may work for some so there is a place for them, but they don’t work for all.
Several of my students are perfectly smart but big public schools and even charter schools were too overwhelming for them with large classroom sizes. Our small class sizes and more peaceful environment is exactly what they needed to be successful academically and socially.
