Anna Cullen

I have been a Canadian public school teacher for almost 10 years and worked in a variety of secondary learning environments - including many different inclusive programs. My specialty is English, Special Ed., and bringing inclusion into the mainstream classroom.

I believe that learning needs to be purposeful and lifelong process. It takes practice in a safe space without penalty. I believe that the role of a teacher is to be a facilitator of a safe and engaging learning environment. It is my responsibility to build relationships, and make learning accessible for all learners. It is important to engage with these texts in a variety of ways that build oral, written, and reading skills. I make it a priority to provide my students clear structure and make the purpose of each learning experience transparent, with clear connections to the essential questions. Educational and psychological theorists that have influenced my philosophies and practice include Ken Robinson ideas on creativity and its importance in development, Faye Brownlie’s ideas on collaborative learning and engaging in critical thinking, Tom Schimmer’s ideas on meaningful assessment, and Carl Roger’s ideas on person-centered approaches and the importance of providing a caring and nurturing environment with an unconditional positive regard for my students. Like Nel Noddings, I also believe that a culture of care is only established when the students believe that you care about them. If they think that you care, they will care what you think. I incorporate meta-cognition (and teach what that is!) and creativity into understanding by involving students in the semester’s material choice, experimenting with alternative learning strategies, and creating student-centered lessons while still attaining to the overarching learning outcomes of the course. I want my legacy to be how I inspired students of all abilities to take ownership and pride of their learning and want to continue learning after their public education career (however that may be). If students leave my classroom having a bit more care for the world, others, and themselves, I have done my job.

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I hold a Masters of Education from Thompson Rivers University where I focused on inclusive learning methods and published my paper "Creating Equity for All" (2022) (https://tru.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/tru%3A5798/). I also have Bachelor Degrees in Education, English, and Psychology.

When I'm not wearing my teaching hat, I'm wearing my mom or artist hat.