Helping Students SucceEd in Reading Comprehension

About Me

Hello! My name is Lezai Favors and I'm currently pursuing my Master's degree in Childhood Education at Adelphi University. I recently graduated from Adelphi University, where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology through the Scholar Teacher Education Program.

Interesting Facts About Me

I can speak three languages: English, Spanish, and Italian. My favorite sport is cheerleading and I cheered for 5 years. My hobbies include traveling to new places, cooking and baking, and painting. In my free time, you can find me curled up with a new book.

Why I Want to be an Educator

I want to be an educator because education has always been a big part of my life. Being a first generation college graduate, I've always wanted to be able to make a difference in the world and inspire change. I found my passion for education my first year in college when I was a teacher assistant at an elementary school. There, I witnessed "lightbulb moments," and saw students interact with their learning environment. All of those moments made me fall in love with being in the classroom. I aspire to make a difference in the lives of my students, to inspire them to dream big and never give up.

What Work I've Done so far as an Educator

I have a great deal of interest in pursuing a career in education as I've had various experiences working with children at the early childhood and elementary , as well as outside of the classroom environment.

I have several years of experience working with children from diverse backgrounds. I've worked at numerous pre-schools including the Alice Brown Early Learning Center in Garden City, NY as well as Cadence Education in Middletown, NY. I've been a teacher assistant, observed student performances, engaged students in social and emotional learning, and kept detailed records of their progress. These experiences have allowed me to gain insight about working with kids and the significance of early childhood education.

I've also started teaching at Success Academy, a charter school, during the 2022-2023 school year. I have the amazing opportunity to co-teach a third grade and kindergarten classroom. This experience is invaluable because I am able to gain firsthand experience with classroom management, lesson planning, and holding small group instruction such as guided reading. Being able to work with two classrooms is a challenge, but each day I learn something new! Most of all, the relationships I've built with my co-teachers has been extremely supportive to my development as a new educator.

One of my favorite experiences is coaching the Pinebush Youth Cheerleading League. I started out as a junior coach in 2017 and look forward to working with my team each year. As a coach, I create and teach new routines and cheers, I prepare the team for competitions, and I explain the importance of teamwork and what it means to be a good friend. Through this experience, I have learned the importance of developing strong relationships with children in your care. Being able to watch my cheerleaders grow both within the sport and as an individual has been an honor. It has been made clear to me that positive role models truly do help make a difference in the lives of children.