Tonya Farley

Poteau Upper Elementary

TEACHER OF THE YEAR 

2019-2020

Current Position

This is my sixth year teaching English Language Arts and Social Studies in the 4^th Grade at Poteau Upper Elementary School. 
I taught ACE (Gifted and Talented) class for two years. I have been the Poteau Upper Elementary National Elementary Honor
Society Adviser for four years.

 Previous Experiences:

Prior to becoming a teacher I was a Registered Respiratory Therapist for 19 years.  I spent many of those years working in
either pediatrics or critical care.

 Philosophy of Teaching

As a teacher I believe we should always be a student of life and must continue to grow and learn. I hope to never lose the love for children and a passion for learning alongside them. I believe once you lose sight of what the children need before your own needs it is time to change professions. Children need a person in their life that is honest and truly cares about their needs not only in the classroom but all aspects of their lives. I hope to be that person and always do my best to be the teacher each child who enters my room deserves.

 Personal Teaching Style

I do not believe I am necessarily original in my teaching style, but observant.  I have had the honor of spending time with teachers who have had many years of experience.  I have asked questions, watched videos, read blogs, followed Facebook pages, and of course spent many hours on Pinterest.  I believe you should not only work smarter, but also harder.  I find something that I think I can use and fine-tune it for my students.  I also know that I may not always have success with each lesson and must be willing to find a new way to reach each student. I try to share what works for me with my co-teachers in the fourth grade hall and other reading teachers as well.  Google has become a great asset in sharing the information I come across or develop. The one thing I have come up with on my own is my Reading Challenges.  Students are given a challenge to complete during breaks that either involves reading AR books or working on IXL.  This allows parental involvement and ownership in student learning. I also believe a successful part of my teaching style is high expectations of every student who enters my door.