I love to travel and I bring my travel experiences into my classroom and try to emulate what being a world citizen is to my students. I am willing to step out of my comfort zone and also try to impress upon my students how this helps them grow as people when they do this. My belief is that students are curious about the workings of our planet and the environment around them and I try to facilitate and encourage that curiosity through my teaching style. I see myself more as a learning guide that helps them achieve their highest potential as a scientist and as a human being. I also strive to be a person who continues to learn daily from my students, as well as alongside them. You can see some of my adventures on my personal blog that is viewed by more than 500 people either on the website itself or from receiving a personalized email from me - http://www.wheresdani.blogspot.com
I love working with Middle School students as they have the ability to appreciate new attitudes and opinions and have not completely formed their own. They are also fun to have in a classroom due to their crazy, hormonal states of mind. I can never be one hundred percent sure what mood they will be in when they come into my classroom and even this changes on a minute-by-minute basis. This is what I feel helps keep the classroom fluid and chaotic at the same time.
I am a firm believer that students should be responsible for their own learning and experimentation. I give them those chances frequently in my classroom through inquiry-based learning including student-led classes, group work, presentations, blogs, and weekly laboratory exercises.
Finally, if students walk out of my class at the end of the year with a greater appreciation and understanding of the topic I love, I feel I have achieved the greatest level of accomplishment with those students. My family, my students and those who know me, know I live by the motto Science = FUN!!!
I love working with Middle School students as they have the ability to appreciate new attitudes and opinions and have not completely formed their own. They are also fun to have in a classroom due to their crazy, hormonal states of mind. I can never be one hundred percent sure what mood they will be in when they come into my classroom and even this changes on a minute-by-minute basis. This is what I feel helps keep the classroom fluid and chaotic at the same time.
I am a firm believer that students should be responsible for their own learning and experimentation. I give them those chances frequently in my classroom through inquiry-based learning including student-led classes, group work, presentations, blogs, and weekly laboratory exercises.
Finally, if students walk out of my class at the end of the year with a greater appreciation and understanding of the topic I love, I feel I have achieved the greatest level of accomplishment with those students. My family, my students and those who know me, know I live by the motto Science = FUN!!!
"As a parent of two middle school daughters whom she taught, we are constantly reminded of Ms. D's lessons because she helps students make real life connections to the science in their daily lives. She combines these ideas with her own passion for everything scientific, which sets kids up to constantly keep asking questions about their world. Both daughters have now graduated but continue answering our questions from the knowledge they gained from their Middle school science teacher. Thanks Ms. DiPietro!" - Dianne Watt, past parent at AISB, colleague at SCIS & AISB