Educational Philosophy

I have always loved school - I was one of those kids with a paper and pencil in hand at all times!
Now, as an educator, I feel one of my most important roles is my duty to help students find who
they are meant to be, find their place in the world, and become cognizant, productive members
of society. My background knowledge in elementary education, technology integration, and
administration and multiple years of experience in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade has had a significant
impact on my teaching style and outlook and has allowed me to meet students where they are in
order to guide them to fulfill their potential.
Teachers play early and significant roles in a students early academic life and should optimally
be utilized as the significant resources that they are; readily able to multitask, problem solve, and
set and reset goals all while consciously establishing an inviting classroom that is conducive to
learning. There are countless teachers who do this on a daily basis my goal is to help these
teachers, seasoned, mid-career, and initial teachers, use ideas, resources, and insight to continue
to provide engaging, meaningful, and curriculum-based activities to help promote student
achievement.
As an instructional coach, my goal is to:

build relationships with the teachers, students, and community

celebrate individual and group success
collaborate with teachers to continually improve professional relationships
collaborate with teachers to find areas in which to focus
help incorporate blended learning where students use a combination of technology and
paper/pencil methods to delve deeper into a topic
help teachers create assignments and assessments that accurately measure students
strengths and areas in which additional instruction is needed or the delivery method
reimagined
help teachers plan and deliver purposive lessons that align with the curriculum
help teachers stay on pace as set forth by their long range plans
help teachers use multiple data points to drive instruction
help teachers use technology to engage students and streamline instruction

Going forward, I plan to utilize my strengths in data analysis, problem solving, interpersonal
communication skills, and technology integration to help teachers meet specific and broad goals
as well as facilitate pedagogical practices to meet the needs of our students. Like many life-long
learners, I love the process involved with learning, creating, and practicing the art of teaching. It
is my goal to use my skills to help add to our overarching goal student success.

Wendy McDonald
Educator