Welcome

Hello!  I am Joni Kaminski, the Physical Education teacher at Copper Creek Elementary School.  Last year was my first year at Copper Creek as well as my first year teaching P.E.  I was strictly a classroom teacher before this and because of my athletic background and interest in physical fitness, I decided to go for my ultimate job, teaching P.E.  This new position has been amazing and I could not imagine doing anything else.

I have really enjoyed being a part of the team at Copper Creek.  This school is amazing and has a very inviting climate.  I really enjoy working at a school where it is evident that the main purpose of the school is to create a safe and fun environment for children to grow and learn.

I have been very happily married to my husband for 15 years and we have two beautiful children.  My husband is a line construction supervisor at TEP.  Our daughter, Delaney, is 14 and attends Ironwood Ridge High School.  She keeps busy playing soccer year round and her brother, Danny is a 7^th grader at Wilson.  His favorite sport is baseball, but he plays a little soccer, as well.  When we are not at a soccer or baseball tournament, we enjoy swimming, hiking, running, and hanging out at home.  We are a very active and busy family.

Defining Moment in Education

I really cannot think of one defining moment that stands out to me, rather it was a culmination of several small moments with many amazing teachers and coaches as I grew up.  I had some teachers in middle school and high school who really took the time to get me excited about learning and showed interest in me as a person.  I had a couple P.E. teachers and coaches who inspired me to strive to be the best athlete I could be and to take care of myself by staying active and eating well.  These inspiring educators were the reason I decided to be a teacher, because I wanted a chance to make a difference in the lives of children.

Core Educational Belief

I believe that children learn every day, regardless of where they are.  The hope is that they are given the right opportunities to learn in a safe and inspiring environment where they feel free to ask questions and explore a bit on their own.

I believe that all students can learn.  My responsibility as a P.E. teacher is to show students what I want them to do by first modeling it, and then having students model the movement or activity.  I need to provide a safe, fun, and inviting environment where students can feel confortable participating and that messing up is part of learning.  I am very involved with all of the students; always moving around the gym so that I can supervise as well as be there for further modeling or instructing.  My main belief about education is that there are a variety of ways each individual student learns, so as teachers it is our responsibility to teach in a variety of ways to reach each student.  In addition to this, I believe that students who feel cared for and have a teacher they can look up to will be much more motivated to be life-long learners of any subject.

Prior Experience

Elementary P.E. Teacher (Amphitheater School District—Copper Creek) 2017-18

4^th Grade Classroom Teacher (Clover Park School District, Tacoma, WA) 2016-17

3^rd Grade Classroom Teacher (Port Orchard School District, Port Orchard, WA) 2015-16