Background and Philosophy of Teaching

Viewing myself as a lifelong learner
           An introduction to my philosophy of teaching

My teacher preparation program called for me to transition from thinking of myself as a student to a teacher in a classroom. As a biology student, I learned about and was fascinated by the influence names can have on how we organize and perceive the world. I remember how difficult it seemed to be for me to begin addressing my cooperating teachers by their first names, to thinking of myself as truly their colleagues, and how new it felt to hear my last name used so often by the students. However, I also remember coming home excited and encouraged each day the teacher's shoes seemed to fit a little better. These were days students would come after school and ask me about upcoming tests without looking around for the "real" teacher. They were days I realized my muscles remembered on their own to squat beside a desk rather than to lean over to a student's shoulder to answer a question. I even wanted to celebrate the day I realized why apples are so wonderful for teachers - you can bite into them and still have both hands free to shuffle papers around. 

Now, with two years of full time teaching experience, I have learned to try to hold onto my ability to see things from a student's point of view and to remember and apply the lessons each new day brings. I am continually learning more about the content I am teaching, about the uniqueness of each student, about how diverse people learn and how to actively support their learning, about supporting school-wide efforts. I know that my teaching will only improve if I take the time to reflect on how each of my experiences in the classroom and working with others can help me to make positive changes. 

The links below will take you to pages where you can find out more about my interests, goals and my thoughts on teaching. These pages will be permanently under construction, changing and growing as I gain more experience working with students, administrators, other professionals, parents, and community members to support learning.

In the book The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho states, "When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision." Everyday since I set off to pursue a career in teaching, I have been challenged by new ideas and inspired by courageous students and caring adults. I am looking forward to each new turn I imagine I will find on my path towards becoming as an educator and I am hopeful that I will take from each encounter lessons that will help me grow both as a teacher and a life-long learner.

 
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Philosophy of Teaching

Beliefs on the Role of Schools and Education

Short & Long-Term Teaching Goals

Thoughts on Classroom Management

Answers to Tough Questions for Teachers

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Reading in Trees: A bit about me outside the classroom

Teaching Style Survey Results

My Way: An expression style inventory

Finding answers in the stories of people & nature: why I want to teach
           Information about this video... 

During a course on technology in the classroom, I was required to make a three minute video using iMovie by compiling pictures (our own or creative commons) and adding a narrative. At the time the assignment was given, we had been discussing how we could use digital storytelling to make learning more personal for students. Digital storytelling allows students to be creative while working on their writing skills, but it also gives students a voice and, with the internet, a way to share their ideas beyond the classroom. As with all of the technology skills and tools we explored that semester, our professor encouraged us to use digital storytelling as part of the learning process, not just as a different format for presenting the students' graded work. We were instructed to write a story describing an "ah ha!" moment in our lives when we discovered something important about the world or ourselves. 

I realized watching my classmates share their videos that I had missed adding many  features. It lacks titles, transitions, credits, and many other finishing touches that iMovie makes so user-friendly and that I later saw my middle school practicum students pick up on so quickly. However, when I replayed my own movie I realized happily that if I could make changes, I would not change anything in the narrative. I was surprised to hear the voice coming out of the computer describing perfectly how I felt at that moment. Listening, you may not think it sounds like a story with people, places, and events that change from the beginning to the end. For me, that story is found in the pictures. Each of the photographs I took from the time I began my undergraduate classes in college to the time I left. They were taken during camping trips, protests, study groups, family visits and other adventures. Many of the pictures came from my trips to southwest Virginia and West VIrginia. Others came from travels to Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Paris, Frankfurt, Greece, or Spain. They don't fall in perfect chronological order, but they do paint in my mind a path from one way of thinking about the world to another. 

I hope to use digital storytelling in my teaching because I think many students would look back on their projects and reflect on their thoughts, just as I replay mine from time to time. "Why do you want to teach?" is a difficult question. My answer, what I focus on most, may change slightly from day to day depending who is asking and what I am thinking of at the time. In this video, created quickly for a class with no particular audience in mind, I answer this question as a sort of musing to myself. While I hope the links to the left give you a better idea of my approach to teaching in the classroom, I think this video gives a quick glance at my hopes for becoming a teacher. 
 

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