Ella Bijaoui

I believe that I have two fundamental duties as an educator: to positively impact and support the mental wellbeing of my students, and to utilize optimal teaching strategies with the aim of giving learners the knowledge, tools, and opportunities to reach their deepest potential in terms of present and future academic and professional success. In other words, my teaching philosophy is rooted in my passion for benefitting the psychological health of my students, in addition to leading them through the Ontario Curriculum. My reasons behind my desire to nurture my students’ wellbeing are dualistic in nature. First and foremost, I care about the health and happiness of my students, and so this is a wish that I have in and of itself. However, it’s interrelated with my other fundamental duty—to provide the best instruction possible for each student—as the fostering of a safe and inclusive learning environment is also a teaching aid. This is because human beings are better able to take in and retain new knowledge when they feel safe and relaxed. Moreover, the classroom environment and my relationship with each student aside, another important element integral to students’ wellbeing is their feeling successful. It follows that benefitting their mental health includes giving them the best instruction possible to achieve success, whatever that may look like for each student. Thus, the effectuation of each of these two duties enables and increases the success of the other.

Furthermore, I am committed to teaching in a culturally responsive manner, differentiating my instruction and assessment to celebrate the abilities of the individuals in my classroom, and implementing assessment strategies consistent with those outlined in Growing Success: assessment for, as, and of learning.