At a recent staff meeting, all staff were asked to identify their top 3 core values about learning. Here are the themes that emerged:

"CORE VALUES ABOUT LEARNING THAT I HOLD"

Schools should be a safe place to learn.

• Learning only happens when students feel safe at school and at home
• Students should be valued and feel safe/welcomed
• Social behavior & emotional development are important
• Little words/gestures can make a big difference
• Providing students with a safe and positive learning environment
• Having a safe environment
• Learning best takes place in an environment where students feel safe, comfortable, welcome, etc.
• Safe to have a voice and be different

Making connections and building relationships with students is important.

• Relationships are key in order for learning to happen. Need to create a safe community
• Relationships are the key
• Connection with each student, making that personal connection so they feel accepted & valued, and that we care, and we are on this journey together. Make them feel and know we believe in them!
• Relationship & connections with others
• Connect in order to learn – must have connections and must feel in safe environment to learn
• Connections with each individual child
• Building a community
• Growth involves nurturing many different aspects (social-emotional, relationships, etc.)
• Child-centered
• Teach the whole child
• Listen to the child
• Make sure you form a connection with the child
• Heart first, head second
• We must gather up all our learners
• Providing a space where children feel respected, cared for and where relationships are highly valued

Everyone learns in a variety of ways and at different rates.

• Everyone learns differently (style & pace)
• Not all people learn the same way and that is totally okay
• We learn in different ways – have different strengths and individual ways to show what we know
• Opportunity to learn differently & make mistakes
• Everyone is on their own learning journey
• Learning can look different – has many forms
• Learn in different ways/different rates
• Learning is a progress (everyone is on a journey)

Learning is a life-long process.

• You are always learning
• Learning never ends, you can always learn more or differently
• Learning is life-long; a teacher should model their learning to the students
• Learning is ongoing – about making progress (there will be ups and downs)
• Learning is a journey; the process is equally (if not more important) than the end result
• Learning is a life-long journey – continuous
• Learning is life long – does not end at the bell, after gr. 12, at university… we are always or should be learning
• Learning is a process, not just an end product
• There’s never a bad question
• Learning is interconnected (personal, inter-personal)
• I always have an open mind and continue to engage in opportunities where I can grow, learn and reflect

It is important to provide a variety of learning experiences.

• Variety of learning experiences
• Lots of types of learning – not just academic but also personal – being a good person is just as important as social (get along, wait your turn, etc.)
• Interactive learning
• Imaginative learning
• Inquiry
• Co-learning
• Collaboration
• Common entry point for building background knowledge
• There’s more to learning than reading, writing and math
• Learning happens best through play – playing with ideas, playing with materials, playing with languages

Other Core Values:

• It is important to find what interests each kid as it may help foster an interest in different (harder) subjects
• Learning happens reciprocally between the teacher, learner and the concept
• It is important to be respectful to self, others, and environment
• Home-school communication is crucial