Mallory Hodges

Who I am:

I am from the rural Suffolk, VA. We are best known for our peanuts. Growing up in a rural area, I always attended smaller public schools. This led to me being closer with my teachers and most of them knew me on a more personal level. This gave me an appreciation for teachers at an early age. Most of my family are also teachers, so that also pushed me into looking more into teaching as a career.

What I know:

I know for a lot of students, school is their safe place. It always felt like that for me, so I think understanding and patience is something I can provide for students. I know how hard it can be to make it to school everyday and try your best when there is no one there to help you or tell you you are doing a good job. I would also like to teach my students empathy and inspire original thought.

What I have to learn:

I think for me to become an effective teacher, I have to learn how to teach to all types of learners. I will need to learn how to handle an entire classroom and keep the attention of the students.

The teacher I will become:

The purpose of school is to teach learners how to function in society. I think the most important thing I would like to teach my students is how to work confidently with others, while also inspiring original thought. I would like for my students to be able to learn how to effectively work as a team and I would have them complete a few group assignments to know the importance of communication. I would hope that my students value themselves as well as their education and community. Progressivism is the educational philosophy that would best describe my views on teaching because I believe in teaching students how to problem-solve and work with others.