Our Classroom

My Philosophy of Teaching centres on the idea that there are not children with special needs and other children.  On the contrary, all children have special and unique needs and strengths and it takes a caring, committed and observant teacher to recognize that some children face a disproportionate struggle but to focus instead on the strengths that child has. It is those strengths that make the individual a valuable contributor to our classroom community.

It is a teacher’s job to nurture each child’s self-esteem, to build his/her capabilities, and to carefully plan and structure activities in a way so that each student can experience success in a safe and nurturing environment.

It is a difficult challenge that teachers face.

When we make good choices, we all achieve success.

Welcome to Ms. Jesseau’s Grade 4 Class

Feel free to come visit our classroom, where you’ll see us engaging in authentic and relevant learning everyday!

I have recently heard an analogy made, likening a classroom to a banquet.  It would be counterproductive to serve every person attending a banquet a traditional lasagna and then, depending on individual dietary needs, to take each dish back to the kitchen to scrape off the meat, cheese, or other problematic ingredient. Similarly, the past practice of serving a lesson to students and modifying piecemeal to suit a particular need is not efficient or effective teaching practice. 

What today’s teachers must do to serve the needs of their students is to give them a pasta bar (or smorgasbord) of learning opportunities suited to their unique and diverse needs. My favourite aspect of this analogy is that we do not judge or stigmatize people’s dietary needs, neither should we make judgements on their educational needs. Everyone is equally entitled to a tasty meal and a high-quality education.

In order to provide students with a buffet of learning opportunities, teachers must develop profiles of their students to know how best to reach them.  It also requires that the teacher conduct ongoing assessments to inform planning and meticulously keep records so she can report on the students progress toward the learning objectives, and identify next steps to challenge them in their learning.

When I speak of learning objectives, I do not mean merely the curriculum as set out by the Ministry of Education.  It is also part of a teacher’s job to shape the future citizens of our society and so character education, learning skills, and the tools to lead a productive life are as important as the content of the curriculum.

What we cannot forget is that children learn best when they are interested and when they are curious about the world around them. So, the effective teacher must plan lessons that take into account the needs, abilities, and interests of all the individuals within the classroom.

It is a difficult challenge that teachers face, but it is one that I’m ready to take on.