About find your way to soar
It all began with a simple idea: to show every learner the gifts and strengths they already possess. Find Your Way To Soar was inspired by an educator who demonstrated to a former undiagnosed ADD student (ME), that there are many effective ways to learn. My vision is to help students who feel unsuccessful discover their unique learning styles and SOAR into a world of amazing knowledge and discovery.
ABOVE: My learning and discovery partner in crime, my amazing ASD, ADHD and Anxiety diagnosed son and myself at the planetarium.
LEFT: My husband and B at his favorite spot, The Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum.
B continues to grow, mature, and astonish his Dad and I with his accomplishments. He is in 5th grade and beginning his second year ever not having an assistant or any IEP services. He began services at the age of 4. He no longer qualifies for any at all. He had wonderful educators and administrators whose teaching philosophy is much like mine.
B is proof in the pudding it works! Dad and I love you big guy!
My teaching approach
My teaching philosophy incorporates Neural Education, Social Emotional Learning, and Executive Functioning skills to create learners that understand how their brain learns best. Then I create high-impact, engaging lessons using data, parent input, teacher input, and, most importantly, student input to tailor a lesson path. My goal is to foster a growth mindset, showing ALL students that they can change their brains and grow through effort.
My Philosophy
Every learner is unique. Each of us has to understand and prepare ourselves as learners BEFORE content should ever be introduced. A confident, prepared learner will not only find more success in retaining knowledge, they will feel the pride and excitement from having done it.
There are 3 important and separate parts to my working with students and they go in order 1,2,3.
First, is Neuro Knowledge and Social Emotional Learning
Teaching students of all ages how their own brain learns helps them understand they CAN change and improve. It increases their confidence to invest the effort and focus needed for not only initial learning, but the moving of learning into long term memory.
Even students as young as PK learn and understand the concept of neuroplasticity, the concept that the brain learns, grows and changes. Students begin to see challenges as chances to build new neural connections and strengthen their brains.
Below is a You tube clip that every student I have showed it to from PK- adult ends up with an awe and "Oh, I get it."
Then you add Social Emotional Learning which incorporates self understanding and coping skills in addition to understanding that their friends are just as unique and different as they are. It takes a classroom community of understanding learners to not only understand their ability to succeed, but that their classmate also has the same right and it might look different. WE ARE BETTER WHEN WE LIFT EACH OTHER UP AND SOAR!
