Danielle Speed

Special Education and Mathematics Teacher

6947 Lionshead Parkway Lone Tree, CO 80124
720-231-5465 I deprice2007@gmail.com

I believe that the classroom is the first place students have an opportunity to learn how to be

contributing members of a society and that it is important to make sure all students have a voice that is heard.

My classroom is a living community in which everyone needs to participate in order for us all to learn and grow

from one another. We build a class that is supportive of one another and allows students to take risks in order

to push their thinking. We focus on the learning process and what life lessons we can take from the content

and apply it to our lives. We spend time building relationships and respect in order to construct and support our

community.

Students are recognized as individuals with different learning styles, which is why I try to use a variety

of teaching (linguistic, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) and assessment strategies in order for students to

have multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning and understanding. I believe students need a balance

of conceptual understanding and opportunities to practice their learning. I also believe students should have

ownership over their learning and be able to articulate what they have learned and monitor their own progress.

I believe we are never too old to stop learning. Students push me every day to think about our content,

class, and the world around us differently and make me a better teacher. I frequently ask students for

feedback and to provide constructive feedback so I can improve the class for their learning needs. I encourage

my students to know we both can learn from one another. As I grow my teaching philosophy might change,

and I believe that is a good thing.