PRESLEY BENDZA
Teaching Philosophy: My teaching philosophy is to ensure I provide a quality education for all students in a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment. I believe my role as an educator is to support every student with their learning aspirations, offer flexibility and apply creativity, and to create balance and a sense of belonging within my classroom community. I also believe in leading by example, being an active listener, and teaching from the heart. Therefore, I promise to show up dedicated to lifelong learning, with an open-mind and optimistic attitude for all the opportunities Inclusive Education brings.
TEACHING QUALITY STANDARD (TQS)
4. ESTABLISHING INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
During my time with a specialized school for field experience II, working with students with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and trauma backgrounds, I had the chance to observe and teach Social Emotional Learning (SEL) classes. I found these inherently valuable to being aware of and facilitating responses to the emotional and mental health needs of students, especially during the pandemic. These lessons are something I carried forward with me to field experience III, where I initiated teaching one SEL lesson per week in the grade 5/6 class I was placed with whilst employing classroom management strategies that promote positive, engaging learning environments. Each week we focused on a different important aspect of health and wellness, finding ways beyond just the SEL lesson that contributed to communicating a philosophy of education affirming that every student can learn and be successful such as personal goal-setting, important discussions as both participant and active listener, and recognition and connection through incorporating students’ personal and cultural strengths into teaching and learning.
Students were encouraged to share their ideas to foster an inclusive classroom community for learning and provide opportunities for student leadership. Artefacts were then displayed on the SEL board I created in the classroom entitled "Ways We Grow" to further demonstrate students as part of the curriculum and recognized efforts towards creating a welcoming and inclusive learning environment.
Some SEL themes I have taught:
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Conflict Resolution
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Personal Responsibility
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Kindness
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Identity & Self-Love
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Empathy
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Diversity
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Feelings
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Gratitude
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World Health Day
Presley has been an absolute joy to have in Room 2 over the past four weeks. Presley demonstrates such a calm and patient demeanor when working with the vulnerable student population at our school. Presley has been able to develop and foster positive relationships with the students she teaches, and with staff around the school. Presley has been able to engage with many of the diverse classrooms in our schools to observe different populations and teaching techniques. Presley’s ability to plan lessons thoughtfully ,and take into account the diverse learning profiles in our classroom has been outstanding. Presley ensure multiple entry points, and engaging hooks to grab the students’ attention. She has been able to teach in whole group settings as well as small or individual groups meeting the learning outcomes in her lessons. Presley has been eager to learn about assessment, the program of studies, and multiple ways to present a lessons to better engage our struggling learners. Presley has been able to collect multiple resources to broaden her scope of practice about our FNMI population, to help incorporate teachings and supports for these students.
Field II Partner Teacher 2 Narrative Assessment
