Virtual Mentor Exploration #3
For my final virtual mentor exploration, I had the opportunity to ask Mrs. Rachel Sauvola about some of her teaching techniques and thoughts. Learning about her teaching style was very interesting and fun to me and I hope I can work to be a wonderful teacher and person like she is some day. The first question I asked her was about her teaching philosophy. Her words were very inspiring to me. She said, "Every student can find success in agricultural education." She stated that the community is her classroom. She wants every student to have opportunities and she can achieve this for her students through creating partnerships within her community.
The second question I asked was, what strategies or resources do you use to help the class and program be responsive to cultural diversity? Mrs. Sauvola said her classroom is based off of respect and mutual expectations. She asks her students what they expect from her and she tells them what she expects from them and this creates a mutual understanding. She also said they start out by talking about respect and what they believe it looks like and this leads to chatting about diversity and difference. I thought it was very interesting that all students are involved in all projects and presentations in her classroom. Even children who are non verbal or wheelchair bound. Her school strongly believes in inclusion. This means all students are in general education classes. She proudly stated that due to creating this classroom environment, she has only had to send very few students to the office in her twenty years of teaching. I really enjoyed her thoughts on this as special education and inclusion is very important to me.
The last question I asked was, what are the best tips/ resources you would provide to new teachers regarding special needs accommodations? I loved it when she said, "students engage in ag education differently than in other." She said due to this is why she does not strongly focus on IEPs until the students have been in the class at least a week. This hit me and I realized it was very true. Even for students who do not have special needs. She then said its important to visit with the case manager about each student. It was very inspirational when she said, "some of their disabilities become possibilities in my class. They can find success here." She also said we need to provide them with things they can do to find success. She reassured me by saying I will definitely have fun with these students.
Mrs. Sauvola is truly an inspiring woman and teacher. I am very lucky to have her as well as my other two mentors to help guide me and become an outstanding ag educator.
The second question I asked was, what strategies or resources do you use to help the class and program be responsive to cultural diversity? Mrs. Sauvola said her classroom is based off of respect and mutual expectations. She asks her students what they expect from her and she tells them what she expects from them and this creates a mutual understanding. She also said they start out by talking about respect and what they believe it looks like and this leads to chatting about diversity and difference. I thought it was very interesting that all students are involved in all projects and presentations in her classroom. Even children who are non verbal or wheelchair bound. Her school strongly believes in inclusion. This means all students are in general education classes. She proudly stated that due to creating this classroom environment, she has only had to send very few students to the office in her twenty years of teaching. I really enjoyed her thoughts on this as special education and inclusion is very important to me.
The last question I asked was, what are the best tips/ resources you would provide to new teachers regarding special needs accommodations? I loved it when she said, "students engage in ag education differently than in other." She said due to this is why she does not strongly focus on IEPs until the students have been in the class at least a week. This hit me and I realized it was very true. Even for students who do not have special needs. She then said its important to visit with the case manager about each student. It was very inspirational when she said, "some of their disabilities become possibilities in my class. They can find success here." She also said we need to provide them with things they can do to find success. She reassured me by saying I will definitely have fun with these students.
Mrs. Sauvola is truly an inspiring woman and teacher. I am very lucky to have her as well as my other two mentors to help guide me and become an outstanding ag educator.
Brooke, thank you for sharing your reflections on your conversation with Mrs. Sauvola. She shares some GREAT advice with you and it seems as if you found much value in what she shared. If you had to choose one thing that she shared that resonated with you the most, what would it be?
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