About Me!
About Me!
Almost all of the first 12 years, I hated school. I struggled with being involved, fell asleep in class, barely did the minimum and didn’t have any passions in education. Any time I put in effort, I would still fall behind, which strongly discouraged me. Even outside of learning, I didn’t have much luck making friends either.
This was the case until I met one teacher in high school, Ms. Clark. We would eat lunch together since I didn’t have anyone else to sit with, I would spend my free period helping her decorate the classroom or make copies, and talk about what I want to get out of school. She changed my mind about at least one subject, history.
After making a new friend and finally finding something I was invested in, I looked forward to coming to school. Recovering from my bad grades and being behind wasn't easy, but I had an amazing support system. Now I’m in my third year of college, majoring in history, aspiring to be the same safe haven for my future students.
My life is going a lot better! I love exploring all of the available courses at Old Dominion University and making good friends along the way. Outside of school, I spend a lot of time with my family, taking photos with my best friend, as well as appreciating nature and music. Of course I can’t forget the newest addition to my family, our cat Athena. These are all elements that make up who am today and I wouldn’t be myself without them.
Below is a playlist I made that contains some of my favorite songs at the moment and amazing artists. Just click to open on YouTube!
Song: Sedona by Houndmouth
How to Make Everyone Feel Heard
In groups, conversations, or anywhere, it's important that everyone's ideas, feelings and concerns are heard. It brings diversity and perspective to what we're talking or working on.
Prioritizing Tasks Before Due Dates
When I first started college, this was hard for me. Finding a groove to have good time management skills was a process, but now something I take in stride.
Patience
I have six nieces and nephews and have worked three different jobs with kids from ages two to twelve. At this point, patience is second hand.
Consistent Teamwork Skills
I work in a restaurant, which requires a lot of communication and team thinking to get the job done. I practice this weekly while working and put into play when in groups at school.
Three main things I want to focus on are effective classroom management, how to make my classroom a safe and open environment, and ways to work history into fun, hands on activities. All of that goes into knowing my students to be able to navigate the lesson into something they'll be confident and knowledgeable in, but also knowing various methods to appeal to all students' learning types.
All the times I've worked with kids, I found it difficult to redirect distracted behavior into being back on track, so it's a huge priority in skills I want to learn. Additionally, developing a sense of how to reach out to kids that are struggling and need a resource is crucial for me to become to the teacher I want to be.
Of course there are many more aspects of teaching and history that I will need to know, but I'm always ready to learn new ways to improve my work ethic and self.
When someone walks into my classroom, they'll see a calm and diligent working environment that the students created for themselves, as well as supportive surroundings that give them the opportunity to strengthen their confidence and open up about who they are. I believe school has the power to develop the kids' social and responsibility skills significantly.
A great metaphor for how my students and I will interact is me being a gardener, and them being plants! I'm available to water them with knowledge and helping in whatever way I can for them to grow and thrive. On the same note, I want to celebrate our diversity, backgrounds and cultures, just how plants have different histories and origins.
Two educational philosophies that line up with my goals are progressivism and social reconstructivism. Giving the students tools to work past my class into their future and educating them on how history connects to current events are two extremely important aspects I want to teach.
When talking about an effective working environment the students created themselves, I mean providing options for the kids to choose how to learn the material that best resonates with them. I want their learning to be student centered with my guidance to stay on track.
Furthermore, introducing them to what's happening around the world will expand their openness to understand each other and people they will interact with in the future. Most importantly, the students will learn how to handle failure in a confident stride with help from their peers and myself.