Martha Garrett certified Spanish Teacher

Introduction: I'm a special education teacher with 10 years of experience in teaching Spanish to 8th through 12th grade. I'm an MA certified SPED and Spanish Teacher 1. My personal statement is this: My philosophy of teaching is that given a structured, creative and balanced environment where they are challenged and engaged appropriately, all students can and will learn and succeed. While I insist on a rigorous and structured classroom, I am kind and accessible and try to teach or lead by example. I have a strong sense of decency and integrity, am respectful and empathic and have a sense of humor as well. I blend teacher- and student-centered instruction and rely on the latest pedagogical research and techniques equally with tried and true approaches. I maintain a strong vision tempered with a sense of reality, and I try to articulate that vision and inspire a passion for it among my students. Lastly, I have a mix of confidence and humility that allows me to instruct and guide my students toward success. On any given day in my classroom, an observer would see a mix of teacher- and student-centered instruction, enhanced by any available technology. The observer would see a rigorously run classroom, where the students understand and comply with a set of reasonable guidelines that they have learned and practiced from the first day. Students would be engaged and working hard. Finally, the observer would experience an atmosphere of trust, respect, safety, fun and appropriate humor between the students and between the students and me. My philosophy of teaching is to provide a rigorous but flexible environment and to use that environment to guide each student toward his or her potential, with kindness, warmth and humor.