Second Grade

I am Vanessa Wallace. I am originally from SE Kansas, but now I call Oklahoma my home. I earned my teaching degree from Pittsburg University. Go Gus! I am currently working on my Masters in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership with an emphasis in Reading/Literacy at OSU-Tulsa. I am a National Board Certified Middle Childhood Generalist. I have had the privilege of teaching at Wilson for the past 15 years. I am honored to serve as Wilson’s Teacher of the Year for the 2008-2009 school year.

 I believe students need to be accepted for who they are. Students are not robots or puzzle pieces that are going to fit into a predetermined mold. Each student has their own strengths and interests. Each student is a unique individual with their own personalities and gifts.  Each student has the potential to succeed if given the right tools and motivation. It is just a matter of finding the how and what that is going to motivate them to succeed. Building off of their strengths or “smarts” is only going to make the job of teaching more rewarding and exciting. Second, my job is to create an environment in which students feel safe to explore, question, and seek out answers on their own and to provide them the skills that type of learning entails. It is my job to facilitate learning and to help students make connections with what they already know to new experiences. When students leave my classroom I want them to have the ability and desire to create their own learning opportunities, work well with others to accomplish tasks, and to have a positive self-image.