Toronto Teachers' Center

I see the center having two very important roles one is the place to build hands-on activities for teachers the second is the option to meet in a large area and have smart boards available so we can help train teachers and improve their ability to reach the children it gives teachers the opportunity to create and to bring to the classroom tools that will help them connect with their students and provide a richer experience in the classroom as a drab you as a teacher I feel it very important to be able to teach in a classroom that's aesthetically pleasing has bulletin boards which the kids are involved with the kids appreciate and uplifts the whole avi arad all environment of the classroom which obviously uplifts the learning in the classroom I use the center here as the educational director for the coal credit literacy project what we do is we bring all our staff the remedial teachers here to do teacher trainings to do staff meetings to have them on the computers for me it's a resource to prepare craft materials or worksheets they have a wonderful craft room which includes die-cut machines and laminators I feel so blessed to teach here because of the teacher Center for teachers it's like teacher heaven and the previous years we wanted to finish the Miss after the go moto so I have a boy take out a piece of oak tag and draw me a thermometer and color it in that looked pretty sloppy didn't have a dramatic look that I wanted to accomplish so I spent my summer at the center designing a reusable professional-looking thermometer which retract the completion of the Miss afta at a professional poster which would enable the voice attractive finishing the mission I use and that gave it a very professional look the staff really knows what they're doing can really help and be really supportive and i find that i'm totally not artistic and they come and they'll type well why don't you put this together and why don't you try this and all of a sudden you come up with this work of art which we never thought you can make but you would can actually really use it anybody is welcome with zero level of knowledge and there's no for any feelings there's no judgmental feelings of how can someone not know how to turn on a computer so even starting from the power is here this is how you turn on the computer there's a place for everybody to begin their learning I am somewhat technologically able but I needed to step up and they help me visualize my vision utilizing this technology and we together we came out with a final product which was exactly what I needed they have opened their doors to me not being part of the community and provided assistance with my unique needs for my unique student the center does have an impact on today's students really because of the impact it has on their teachers and I think those who do come here are those who are dedicated who are looking to improve their teaching or better understand the students before them and I think an important community gets built sensor is very unique in this matter because I needed both the professional staff and their idea of accomplished something a mudak chodesh which could not be accomplished in kinkos because my students are a unique group i'm able to decide which rahat or which symbols are of most important and make materials that cater to those specific needs today there is an increase in the number of visual learners and I think it is because it the amounts of screens that children are exposed to so whether it's the computer or the iphone if you're competing in thet and in a classroom and all you've got is chalk and aboard you're in trouble but if you can bring in something that can compete with that then you've got their attention the child is a professionally technologically advanced visual stimuli to enhances learning they're able to better understand the material because they're able to engage with it they're able to manipulate the word cards to build-a-bra saad the impact of the center has been tremendous again in terms of bringing people together and bringing updated information to teachers who may not otherwise have an opportunity to receive it it's much easier to teach with these aids that I've created because they work from the point where my students are so I'm able to begin with materials that have been created for where they are right now and move them to the place I want them to be I think when I first came to the center I got the impression that it was more for elementary school teachers but once you see the range of what they have to offer you really see that anyone can use it and it could be great for secondary students as much as it is for elementary students as a greater gravity of 13 14 year old voice I have found the center very useful and it did upgrade my classroom I would definitely encourage even a beam of older grades to make use of the wonderful facilities that we have here in Toronto it's got more of an impact than just teacher making some posters in the classroom the center is providing a wide spectrum of resources for the teacher to be able to use to implement her classroom and is changing the way children of this generation are being educated you