Mrs. Ream at School
Journey to a Teaching Credential
Rachel L Ream
About
My experience working with children has taught me that nudges from a caring teacher can build trust and inspire a love of learning. In turn, the encouraged students begin to share this love of learning with those around them. After 19 years of volunteering in my church’s children’s organization, 6 years homeschooling my own two boys, 2 years working as an associate teacher at The Nueva School, and most recently as a substitute teacher at Woodside Elementary School, I am ready to take ownership of a classroom and lovingly nudge students along their learning path.
Asset-Oriented Teacher
Asset-Oriented Teacher
Asset-Oriented Teacher
Asset-Oriented Teacher
Teaching Philosophy
As a teacher, I celebrate every child's innate curiosity, imagination, and self-directed learning. I provide a safe, creative, and engaging environment where children have the freedom to explore and be active participants in connected and meaningful learning. In my classroom, we pursue learning as an adventure.
Children are born curious and self-directed learners. They explore the world around them to learn how to eat, roll over, crawl, play, walk, run, and talk. Their natural imagination allows them to be creative and solve problems. As a teacher, I create an inclusive and creative classroom by allowing students the freedom to lead their learning. I facilitate self-directed learning by providing safety, guidance, and feedback.
What does this look like? My classroom is never perfectly tidy. Various projects are underway in different stages of completion, and the bulletin boards are full of student-gathered information and questions. It looks like we are in the middle of an adventure, which we are - we are learning!
Grading Philosophy
Assessments need to support self-directed learning. Informal (formative) assessments, applied formal (summative) assessments, and student self-assessments achieve this.
Informal assessments are ongoing between the teacher and student. The teacher provides guidance, additional support, and tools as needs unfold.
Formal assessments are most useful to self-directed students when the content is applied. Students need to demonstrate that they can apply the skills they are learning. In this classroom, this is most often achieved through project-based assessments, where students have multiple chances to demonstrate applied comprehension. During the project, the teacher can see the students’ understanding firsthand and conference with students to steer corrections.
Self-assessment is a guided reflection that teaches students how to evaluate their learning. Once students know where they are, they can better articulate where they want to be, and together, the teacher and student can make a plan.
Assessments need to be accessible to both families and students. Students need to have access to assessments when learning is taking place. This gives students better opportunities to make adjustments or course corrections in their proficiency. Families should also have access to assessments, which is why parents are asked to review them, sign them, and return them to the teacher.
