Teaching is a work of heart. These are the words printed on a small, white, wooden heart that my mother, also a teacher, gave me when I graduated from the University of Idaho in 1997. It has been present in every classroom I have taught in since, as a physical reminder of the decision I made while coaching my hometown swim team the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college. While motivating and challenging a team of forty young, energetic swimmers between the ages of 8 and 14 to become stronger, better swimmers, it became clear to me that teaching was the only profession where I would find the personal satisfaction of sharing myself through learning and education.

Teaching is much more than a profession; it is a passion!

I like to start every year by reading Max Lucado's book You are Special. I believe that every child in my class shares a unique perspective and contributes to the overall growth and development of our classroom community. Absolutely essential to any child's learning experience is his or her self concept. Taking the time to create a safe, secure learning environment where everyone's ideas are accepted and applauded is necessary before true learning can happen. Then, throughout the year we continue to define perimeters of respect, responsibility, and teamwork. We produce and sign a respect contract and share the ideas with our parents. We often revisit it when the need arises.

Positive energy is a priority in my classes. We have a positive energy box and I encourage students, through modeling, to write "warm fuzzies" to one another when they catch each other doing nice things. These are shared once a week with everyone in the class. Sometimes, during Community Time, we take time to go around the circle and verbally congratulate one another.

I also like to take the individual into account. I use an individual participation point seating chart system to promote positive work habits. These points can be earned or lost, but when the student has 10 points on the chart, s/he earns a Free Homework Pass! This pass is like money, except that it cannot be used by any other child. It must be kept in a safe place and used when needed. My students may choose to collect them and cash them in at the end of the year for "Wows." A "Wow" is a special sticker that is earned when something extraordinary is accomplished; for example, a perfect score on a really difficult assignment or when an obvious amount of extra effort on a homework assignment is exerted.

Setting goals and taking steps toward reaching them is not only something I teach my students, it is part of my every day personal and professional life. Reflection is an essential teaching practice. During my undergraduate studies, keeping an Educational Journal of our thoughts and reactions to our classes as well as our practical experiences was required. To this day I keep and E.J. by my computer where I can record my thoughts.

I have also learned to do a lot of instant, internal reflection because there just isn’t time to sit down and write everything up all the time. Reflection often takes the form of scribbles notes on a unit plan during a team planning meeting that I will later go back and revise formally on the computer. However, with the convenience of email, I have made it a practice to share my thoughts, ideas, or suggestions with my area head, curriculum coordinators, or teaching team depending upon the issue at hand.