From our Middle School Staff

My goal as an educator has always been to help the students in my care use their God-given gifts to effectively become valuable contributors in society. As educators, it is our duty to develop a learning experience for all students that will help improve their critical thinking, problem solving, artistic, musical and even their athletic abilities. As a teacher, I love to plan engaging and challenging lessons that provide students with the opportunity to achieve their potential. In Middle School I am committed to:

• Developing tasks that will encourage students to become critical and analytical thinkers.
• Creating opportunities for students to be challenged in their learning through flexible tasks and activities.
• Encouraging a stimulating learning environment that caters for the diverse needs of students.
• Purposefully integrating technology in curriculum to prepare students as 21^st century learners in a fast-paced, ever-changing world.
• Maintaining values that are based on solid principles embedded in their daily practice.

I believe that every student has the capacity to learn and be successful in life and teachers can assist learners on this journey through innovative teaching strategies. I have always been passionate about maintaining student interest during lessons and to inspire their natural curiosity and exploration of knowledge. Because Inquiry teaching and learning strategies aim to make learning engaging, innovative and attractive for all students, I can easily achieve this by embedding this methodology in my teaching. Inquiry teaching is a teaching pedagogy that deepens student understanding, encourages student engagement and motivates students to achieve their potential. All of the inquiry methods I often include in lessons, assist and promote critical thinking, active engagement and optimal participation amongst students. As a teacher, I will always value explicit teaching and instruction as my fundamental instructional approach, but I equally value the opportunity that inquiry provides. As a Middle School teacher, I am able to teach in a way that is effective and very current, and I have the opportunity to be inventive and creative within my classroom. I am proud to say that all the teachers in the Middle School incorporate these Inquiry learning routines into their lessons to activate learning. We incorporate a variety of methods that help the students in our classes tune into learning, imagine, discuss, gather and sort through information, reflect and act on their thinking and go further in their learning. I feel privileged to be a part of such a dynamic and progressive learning environment that values the student as the primary beneficiary in their educational journey here at Brisbane Christian College.

Liesle Hendricks
Middle School Teacher