Isaiah Allen

Who I am?

Hello, my name is Isaiah Allen. I have lived in Chesapeake basically my whole life. I went to a Catholic private school from 1 grade to 4 grade. From then on I went through the all the Great Bridge Schools. I have always played sports, whether baseball, soccer, and basketball. I also have three brothers and I am the oldest. I then went to Tidewater Community College for two years and got my Associates in Science. I then transferred to Old Dominion where I wanted to become a Science teacher at first. Then COVID-19 hit and I was never good with online classes so I dropped out. I am now back but instead of Science, I am trying to become a History teacher because History has always been exciting to me. Many of my influences that made me want to become a teacher came from my own family. My dad, my aunts, and my grandmother were all teachers. I also had a lot of good teachers throughout my middle and high school career. I also have been a coach and love showing people how to play different sports.

What I Know

I know that there many different ways that a student learns, whether is is visually, listening, etc.
I know that you have to be compassionate with your students and be patient with them.
I know that understanding a students situation outside of school can help you understand what that student needs to succeed.
I know that the best teachers I have had in the past feel almost like a friend, in a way where you feel comfortable to ask questions and also try to be more personable with there students.
I know how to control my students when there has been a breach of classroom rules.

What I have to learn

I need to learn more about the technologies that I might be using when I am a teacher because I like a old person when I comes to stuff like that.
I want to be more knowledgeable in the subject I will be teaching: History.
I need to find out new and innovative ways to make History fun for students because for a lot of students history is boring.
I need to learn how to bring up controversial topics and make sure I try to be politically correct while getting my point across.
I need to be better with public speaking because sometimes I might stutter a bit or I might not be able to get my ideas across correctly.

The teacher I will become

The purpose of school educate people for everything ahead of them in life, whether that be going to college and furthering your education or going straight into the workforce. One of the most important things my students will learn is although history is pretty black and white, I want to encourage them to see it through all the different lenses so they can have a better understanding of History and also use it in there daily life. Some ways they might learn the different outlooks are by having open discussions on how people look at that certain time in history. Some educational experiences I would like to provide would be field trips and movies that have a good amount of historical significance. I will always want my students to value their opinion because there are so many ways history can be looked at. I will always encourage collaboration but only after everyone has their own thought, because I want my students to do their own critical thinking and challenge themselves. I feel like my educational philosophy is somewhere between Perennialism and Progressivism.

Comments?

Hey Isaiah, I think that it's so cool that you come from a family with a lot of teachers! I love that you said you will try to make your History class fun in new ways while teaching, because I am currently in some History classes during my workday as a TA and it definitley can be a little boring for the kids. You seem like you will be a great History teacher! -Lauryn Jones

I think we're gonna see each other a lot over the next couple of years as I am also looking to become a history teacher. I like how you said you want your students to look at history through a different lense. I think this is important as we often just focus on how things effect ourselves. -Andrew

I'm sorry that you weren't able to do online learning at first but glad to see you're back at it. This is going to serve as a great lesson for when you have to teach students to never give up. History is a very fascinating subject considering history is being made by the minute. I agree with you when it comes to learning technology. With every update, I feel like I have to start fresh all the time. -Maggie

Hi Isaiah, it is cool to see that you come from a long line of teachers. I struggled with online learning as well when I had to come home from Longwood but it now fits my schedule. Congratulations on coming back! I like how you want to learn how to make history fun.- Megen

Hi Isaiah,

I love playing sports and played them my whole life. when I was younger I did dance, gymnastics, and soccer then when I was about 7 I tried out softball and it was the perfect fit. I have played ever since. When I was in high school I had 3 knee surgeries and thought I could still play so I tried my freshman year of college and decided it wasn't for me anymore health wise so now I just weight lift! I also graduated from a community college called Germanna Community College but recently in December of 2021 in Arts and Education. Wish you best of luck this semester!

Sadie P. Hawkins

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