I Believe Statments...
"I Believe" Statements are short and simple statements that represent my philosophy as a future educator.
I Believe...
In equity in the classroom. Students should all be given the tools they need to succeed in and out of the classroom.
I Believe...
Students should be able to come to school and go home feeling safe.
I Believe...
All students should have access to education that works with them and for them.
I Believe...
Teachers have a responsibility to ensure that students feel respected and cared for in the school.
I Believe...
In cross-curricular and holistic education. To me, this means that students should be taught in ways that facilitate connection between multiple subjects and incorporates different perspectives.
My Classroom
Eco-Philosophy
With a health major and a biology minor, I believe it is important to incorporate environmental education into my classroom. I really enjoy and value cross-curricular and holistic education. So, helping students connect different topics to the world we live in and the importance of taking care of that world is something I plan on incorporating into my lessons.
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If I have the opportunity to teach Biology 30, one way I could connect environmental education into my lessons could be through a combination of in-class gardening and cell theory.
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Students could plant pea seeds at the start of the semester. When the plant reaches maturity after two months, the students would look at the pea cells under a microscope.
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Through this activity, the students will develop an appreciation for nature and understand where their food comes from. I also think there is an opportunity to teach students about the value of how food and the environment are connected and respected within many Indigenous cultures. They will be able to connect this activity to Biology 30 outcomes; BI30-OL1, BI30-OL2, and BI30-GB1 and Environmental Science outcome ES20-TE2.
Truth and Reconciliation
“Reconciliation in the context of education begins with the basic courtesy of acknowledging the peoples upon whose land we learn. The respect will grow from there” (Charlene Bearhead, 2016).
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By taking the initiative to acknowledge my privilege and uphold the utmost respect towards Indigenous cultures and Peoples, whose land I live and teach on, I can begin my journey towards reconciliation and decolonize my thinking and future classrooms.
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This is my aesthetic representation of my journey toward reconciliation. I chose to depict koi fish swimming upstream to represent the courage and resilience of Indigenous Peoples. The lilypads represent moments and places of learning for me, and the colours of the koi fish represent those found in the circle of courage. I chose to depict a river scene for several reasons. One is the cultural and biological importance of water for Indigenous Peoples, and the other is to represent the crucial injustice that is the lack of access to clean water in many First Nations reserves in Canada.
