This September marks my 19th year! I have primarily held the role of elementary/middle school FSL teacher with a focus on Special Education. I am currently teaching Gr.6-8 French and Gr.6-7 Health along with an amazing opportunity to research student well-being.

The following quote from Haim Ginott has always resonated so deeply with me. It perfectly sums up my approach:

I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.

The curriculum will always take a backseat to what a student needs to feel safe, heard and understood.