The Teacher 

We believe that teachers of students with learning differences are able to best serve their students when given opportunities to:

·        Teach students as individuals based on their unique needs.

Teachers at The Joy School are expected to adapt assignments, adjust expectations, and provide remedial teaching to ensure the success of all students.  When students succeed, teachers succeed, as there is nothing more meaningful to a teacher than to observe a child learn, grow, and succeed under his or her leadership. 

·        Learn from their peers through observations, discussions, and group planning opportunities.

Teachers are encouraged to observe one another in classrooms here as well as at other schools.  All teachers are scheduled to have lunch together everyday to facilitate natural conversations about shared students so that every day is collaborative.  All teachers have weekly group planning times to share ideas, plan group activities, and set group goals.

·        Foster creative thinking in both their students and their colleagues.

Teachers are encouraged to create their own materials for use in conjunction with traditional teaching manuals to ensure that all students’ needs can be met. 

·        Collaborate with team members and outside professionals when planning for students.

Group planning times and weekly mandatory staff meetings provide time for teachers and administrators to share ideas, concerns, and goals for all students.  Outside professionals such as psychologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists are welcome on campus and encouraged to collaborate with teachers to ensure student needs are being addressed all day long every day rather than only during therapy appointments.     

·        Use their own qualitative judgment in conjunction with quantitative data when planning for students.

At The Joy School, we believe that the best teachers are not only professionally trained, but also are highly intuitive and analytical when working with students.  Teachers must first recognize when a strategy is not working for a child and then, more importantly, work to determine a strategy that will work.  Teachers must also use common sense and anecdotal data from authentic classroom experiences along with standardized testing data for making educational decisions.