Loading Kristen Bell data from Instagram. Please wait... @kristenanniebell : Itâs #FeaturedTeacherFriday, so meet Wendy Tepper! She teaches 2nd & 3rd grade in East Brunswick, NJ and the positivity of her email to me made me swoon. đ âMy name is Wendy Tepper and I have been teaching for 7 years. You could say Iâm like my schoolâs âcheerleader.â I love spreading great climate and spirit! This year I won my schoolâs title of Teacher of the Year!
My district asked me to think about my âmessageâ as the winner. My message to both educators and the general public would be to believe in the promotion of kindness through diversity and tolerance. To remember that we are âhumans first.â My inspiration behind my teaching values is my grandfather; a Holocaust survivor. He had a large part in raising me so that is why it is important that my students believe in kindness, tolerance and diversity. My grandfather is my number one inspiration and what shaped me into the teacher I am today.
Were you to step into Room 34 (my classroom), you will find me speaking to my students on a daily basis about âbelieving in kindness,â and âhaving empathyâ. We start our day with a morning meeting to get to know each other! We share roses (happiness) and thorns (things that bother us) and the students bond as a family.
I tell my students and families from day-one that it is of course important for me to teach the fundamentals of reading, writing, math etc., but it is just as critical to teach how to be kind and to choose kindness. Especially in todayâs society, what all teachers and the general public need to understand is that kindness, tolerance and the belief in diversity is and should be one of the basics!
My school is one of 8 elementary schools in East Brunswick New Jersey. We have an incredibly diverse population and we make it our mission to tap into the potential of every child. We provide support for a variety of students with special needs. Our students come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and cultures. My wishlist is geared for students who have