Personal Philosophy

I believe that all children deserve the opportunity and space to grow and flourish, through having a stimulating yet supportive environment, with access to people and resources that will inspire their natural curiosity and disposition for learning, who will nurture their strengths and interests and help extend their knowledge and vocabulary. I believe that children build knowledge through play and collaborating with others, which helps them develop a sense of who they are and where they belong in the world. I believe that the family is a childs first teacher and that educating children should be a mutual partnership that harbours their best interests and so believe that involvement and communication with family is essential for creating continuity from a childs home life to their school life. In saying that, I believe that children bring with them a wealth of cultural knowledge from their families and communities that should be valued and shared with others to create a diverse and inclusive learning environment. I also believe that when a teacher is passionate about their work and knows, believes in and has high expectations for their students, no matter their circumstances, these students will strive to achieve. I also believe that learning is a lifelong journey and it can work in a reciprocal fashion, whereby at times, the teacher becomes the learner and the learner becomes the teacher. I believe that a teacher should be the person who inspires all children to step into their futures with the knowledge and skills to succeed in their lives, in whatever they may do and the confidence and self-worth to want to do it. Most importantly, I believe in opening up possibilities, finding learning opportunities and jointly discovering and constructing a wondrous world around our children.

Lisa Jenkins-Choice 2012