Teaching with Tenderness

I have been teaching, in-between maternity leaves, for the past twenty years! I have worked with children, in various teaching roles, from kindergarten to grade eight.

The most important aspect of my job, was making connections with my students. Whether I was working with 5 or 14 year olds, this was the most valuable part of my day. In kindergarten, the first half hour of the day was crucial for student – teacher relationship building. When the students entered, I was immediately surrounded by little faces, beaming with anticipation and excitement. They couldn’t wait to share the unbelievable events, that occurred in the moments since we had seen each other last. I learned more about the strengths, weakness and motivating factors of all my students in those precious early minutes in the day. It looked a little different in the older grades, but in the end, the process was just the same. It may seem insignificant to some, but that is when trust, respect and love is developed between a teacher and a student.

Yet to be added

I have a 4 year honours degree in Management Economic, Industry and Finance. I went to Teachers College upon completion of my finance program.

I believe that teachers and schools are doing the very best they can, with the tools they have, to educate our youth. But, I do see a few areas that need tweaking. I don’t want to add anything extra, to a plate that is already so very full. This is not about extra lesson plans or marking, but it is about creating an environment in classrooms that nurtures and loves the young souls with which we are entrusted. It is challenging some old ways of thinking about students. It is about learning and demonstrating along side our students, the importance of love, compassion, trust and respect. If we could create this environments in our classrooms, imagine the ripple effect it could have on our world.