About Mrs. Mills...
Originally growing up and completing my public school education in the suburbs of Detroit, I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and English Education at Spring Arbor University near Jackson, Michigan. I began teaching at Baldwin Jr./Sr. High School in 2008. Since beginning at Baldwin, I have successfully taught High School Geometry, Algebra I, Algebra II, Math 8 (Pre-Algebra), and 8th Grade Language Arts in Reading and Writing. In addition to teaching, I have continued to work at SpringHill Camps in Evart, MI, a summer camp for kids. I am currently earning additional education in Educational Technology from Michigan State University. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband, riding and training horses at SpringHill, reading, and being outdoors (camping, hiking, running, etc.).
My Philosophy
As I have gone through my own education and even as I educate others, my philosophy has grown from my experiences. I believe that students need to feel safe physically and emotionally before they are able to focus on their learning, and my classroom behavior management reflects this. My students know they are required to treat one another and their ideas with respect. I try my best to teach my students the value of working together and learning from one another, with my presence being to guide them on the journey. I also believe in the integration of all subjects as they work together in the real world, so my students will often find themselves writing responses in math class or studying a history subject as they write in Language Arts. Within my classroom I want their learning to come alive, so my students will often find themselves challenged with real life application projects and games, which I feel are better for retention of information and honing of skills.
My Classroom Procedures
Regardless of the subject, I believe in setting up an organized, consistent environment in which my students can feel safe and have their ideas welcomed. I sincerely believe that all students should have equal opportunity to learn, and thus I hold my students to rigorous standards for their education, always demanding their best from them. My classroom rules are centered on something the students know as the Five Finger Covenant: encouragement, direction, no zingers (put-downs), commitment, safety, and respect. By all students and myself upholding these expectations I believe we find ourselves completely prepared to learn. At the age of my students it is highly important that they learn responsibility and accountability for their work, and thus every student will have a notebook given to them that they are update with notes, class work, etc. These notebooks are collected periodically and assessed on how faithful the students have been to their upkeep. I also believe that no matter what a student is learning it is necessary that each student be able to communicate what they know to other people--thus tests, quizzes, and projects are important opportunities for students to be able to do this.