Kristina O’Connor
M.S.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction, Purdue University
Teaching Philosophy
important skills I want to teach MY students
I want to teach my students how to make good choices. Good choices can be made in every situation! Choices are made when solving multi-step equations, when deciding what formulas to use, when talking with friends, when playing at lunch, when figuring out how to organize free time, when… The list goes on and on!
teaching methods to reach these goals
I ask my students a lot of questions, and I listen. Advisory time is the best time to connect with students and listen.
MY favorite projects
My favorite activity of the year is going on the 8th grade Adventure Treks trip! Spending four days with students camping in the mountains is definitely a time to see students challenge themselves in a different way. I love to see a student beam with pride after rock climbing 25 feet or laugh so hard after going down sliding rock.
What I like best about teaching at Seven Hills
Seven Hills is a place where teachers deeply care about their students. I love collaborating with all of my colleagues. We care about the whole student, and we try to teach them how to make good choices. Social-emotional learning is very important in our world today. Academics are important too, and along the way, students not only learn compassion and kindness, but they also learn how to factor polynomials and write formal geometric proofs.