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CORE Beliefs

With the creation of a new blog, it feels right that the first post should be about my core beliefs as a teacher:

I believe in learning from others teachers and not from a canned program.
I believe in re-inventing the wheel and in innovation, even when others say not to.
I believe in ending sentences with prepositions, especially because others say not to.
I believe in making things better, even when they aren't broken. Life is a work in progress.

I believe in the power of choice and autonomy.
I believe in individual decision making and responsiveness.
I believe that teachers can be trusted to do their jobs.
I believe that nerds are the only people you should surround yourself with. They know and show what they are passionate about.

I believe that books can, and do, save lives.
I believe that classroom teachers are more important than computers. Robots are incapable of developing relationships like humans. No computer chip can detect and help lessen the burden of a chip on someone's shoulder.

I believe that talk, reading, and writing are essential to student learning.
I believe in a resurgence in the teaching profession.
And I believe that others need to be shown how to appreciate teachers and not to objectify, politicize, or envy the difficult and rewarding work that teachers undertake everyday.
I believe in teaching and I believe in teachers.

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