Mr. D's Place On The Internet

     Thank you for visiting my website.  I hope you find it to be a useful tool in assisting your child during their second grade year.  As you can see below, I am truly committed to your child's success.  When I'm not in school teaching, or volunteering for various committees or clubs I spend most of my time with family and friends.  I am very close with my sister and her family in Merrimack.  We see each other often and do lots of things together.  My two nieces (Meagan and Madison) are very fun kids.  Madison is in 6th grade and Meagan is in 9th.  We try to spend a lot of time outside and getting fresh air.  We especially like it when the ice cream truck comes by.  Uncle Kevin ALWAYS treats to ice cream!  I also have a brother and sister-in-law in Nashua.  I see him and his family sometimes too.  I visit his family mostly in the summer to celebrate my niece and nephew's birthdays.  Emily is going into 5th grade and Ryan will be in 3rd grade this year.  I can believe how fast they grow up.  I also enjoy watching baseball on TV at their house because my brother is a HUGE Boston Red Sox fan.  I especially love watching the Yankees beat the Red Sox.   Please feel free to read the information below and send me an email if you have any questions or concerns.  As always, my door is always open.

~Mr. D

Philosophy of Education
     I strongly believe that each child is whole, and the purpose of educators is to provide students with positive experiences that enrich their affective, cognitive, and psycho-motor abilities. Their schemata are derived from many broad experiences both in and out of the classroom. For children, learning should not start or stop at the door of their schools or classrooms. Their hunger for knowledge is innate, natural and ongoing. As a teacher working with the whole child I must take into consideration that I am providing them with skills and concepts to become lifelong learners. Those skills and concepts should be delivered and constructed in a manner that are as real and tangible as life experiences are for adults.

     A classroom that is child-centered and reactive will provide students with a genuine feeling of ownership of their learning, and allow each child to construct their own knowledge of the world around them. Including children with varied degrees of proficiency and different physical, mental and developmental abilities in one classroom which incorporate many types of intelligences will provide the best experience for what children can expect outside of academia. It also provides an opportunity to assess children authentically using their own work and peer-conferences to discover strengths, and areas that could be focused on to achieve a better understanding. Holistic experiences allow children to see the whole problem, develop and apply their own inductive and deductive reasoning, and create connections that are real. Although I am held to a “standardized” grading system, I believe that portfolio assessment is beneficial to students so that they can show their abilities and true successes.

     I believe that each child wants to do well at school, yet sometimes makes mistakes that need logical consequences. These consequences should be communicated and implemented in a way that does not threaten a child’s self-esteem, yet enables them with the opportunity to enhance their self-concept and understanding of themselves within their community. In turn, each member in that community should be accepting, understanding, and respectful of all of its members. They should support one another and should disagreements occur, they should do so respectfully.

     It is with great intention that I follow the above philosophy keeping in mind each day that I am charged with a great responsibility that I do not take lightly. Each child that I am privileged to work with has great potential. Sometimes that potential is clear and solid, and other times it’s hidden beneath self-doubt, socioeconomic clutter, or a myriad of other issues. I truly believe every child can learn, and I consider myself lucky to be a part of that process.
 

AWARDS

BAE F.I.R.S.T. Lego League – Coach of the Year Award – N.H. State Competition 2006

 CERTIFICATION

    New Hampshire Experienced Educator – 1811 Endorsement