PAige Hawthorne | phawt001@odu.edu

About me

My name is Paige Hawthorne, I am a junior at Old Dominion University, majoring in elementary education. I was raised in Norfolk, Virginia and graduated from Norview High school. I am currently working as a literacy tutor at an elementary school and am a part time nanny. I also work in the children's ministry at my church, where I first grew my love for teaching and leading children. I love to read, all different genres, but especially mystery books. I really enjoy having to solve the problem as I go. I also love playing soccer and going for runs.

My inspirations

My biggest inspiration to become a teacher is my youth and associate pastor, Brian Barnes. I first met him when I was in first grade. Brian has always put a lot of work into creating a safe and fun environment for the children in the church. I grew up looking up to him and his ability to tell people the truth, even the hard truth, and how he tirelessly works to advocate for the next generation of the church. Through all the years I have known him I have grown to admire his efforts for advocating for the children, especially the ones who need it the most. I also grew to be a leader under his wing and because of his work for Christ I had chosen I wanted to become a teacher and change lives the way he has changed so many in our church.

My three biggest inspirations are my incredible siblings. Tyler, in the black hoodie, grew up very timid, because of this a lot of teachers misunderstood him as careless or unmotivated. My brother has always been effortlessly smart, but because of the few teachers who misjudged him, he grew up doubting his intelligence and tended to work under his potential. Sarah, in the red hoodie, grew up with a beautiful and courageous soul that never feared anything. She was adventurous and creative, but Sarah was bullied really badly in elementary school which followed her into middle school. Her classmates found her creativity and passion to learn as "weird," which caused Sarah to hate school and quiet her beautiful storm. Her unique way of learning and communicating was silenced and discouraged, creating someone who now feels less than and continues to be haunted by those hurtful moments. Anna, in the tan pants, is my youngest sister. She is wild and unpredictable, but always stands up for her friends and is head strong. Anna wants to, and will, change the world one day, but because the schools do not prioritize teaching real world problems, her education on how to change the world is extremely limited. Without knowing how the world works, the best ways to stay properly educated, and not knowing a safe way to be heard, Anna is left frustrated and impressionable by the world. This lack of guidance can affect the impact she makes on the world. Seeing these affects the school system has had on each of my siblings has inspired me to become a teacher. I want to be the hope and advocate my siblings didn't have.

The significance of having fun

I know how to step out of my comfort zone and dress up or create activities that will grab students' attention and make learning fun!

Victories deserve to be celebrated

Sometimes life gets tough and so does learning, but celebrating small victories and acknowledging hard work can be an effective motivator

What I know

The value of team work

Working as a team allows things to get down quicker and gives a safe space to share opinions and learn new perspectives. It also has the ability of making the task a lot more fun

Prioritizing self care

Staying calm, cool, and collected in a chaotic moment

Staying organized and tidy, especially in larger areas

Disciplining bad behavior gently and effectively

What I Need to Learn

The Teacher I Will Be

I want to be a teacher that sees her students as the individuals they are and is responsive enough to be able to teach student in a way that is most effective to them. I want to teach my students about the real world and help them navigate their way through it. I want to be my students biggest advocates and work tirelessly to make sure they are heard and seen. Despite the pressure the school system puts on teachers to have the right "numbers" I want my students to also know that they are wonderful and full of potential. I want to encourage my students and make class enjoyable for them. For some students school is their only safe space to go and the only place they feel they exist, and as a teacher I want to make sure that is exactly what school is for them, safe.

I imagine I will embrace progressivism philosophy and essentialism philosophies. Teaching the basic information will be what I feel most pressured to do and sometimes will feel most prepared for. Although teaching the basics is what many schools encourage I still plan to make my lessons engaging and allow students to work together and provide lessons and activities that gives students the opportunity to take the material and relating it to real life.

Leave a Comment!

Hi Paige! I too need to learn the art of prioritizing self care! I worry to much to about making sure everyone else is okay and forget about myself in the process. I know I will never learn to stay calm in a chaotic time so I won't even try to that one! -Tiffany Washington

Hey, Paige! I really enjoyed reading your page, I love the pictures and the color you added. I also really like to read too, that's what I spend a good majority of my free time doing. I think you are going to be an amazing teacher! - Kaitlyn Garrett

Hi Paige, I like how you mentioned that your siblings are your inspiration. My two younger sister are my inspiration. Both my siblings also had different ways of learning things in school. Your page was really interesting. - Maria Brown

Hey Paige! I love that you included that you are trying to prioritize self care. That is something I need to work on as well honestly. It is also important for both students and teachers. - Payton Collins
The story of your sister Sarah being one of your inspirations was really moving! You seem to have all the right qualities and motives to become and amazing teacher! -Noah Shepherd
I can agree with you completely about the motivation from siblings. I only have one little sister and she really means the world to me. A sister is a girls best friend and as long as we have our sisters we will always have a reason to want to be better. Your sister is going to be so proud of you even though she already is. ~ Janiyah Johnson
Hi Page, I think it was amazing you posted your siblings as motivation/ Inspiration. I never really thought about how my siblings impacted me but they actually did. My second oldest brother growing up was a slow learner and got picked on a lot. It made me stand up for him when others didn't and I realized it made me who I am. Without them I wouldn't be the teacher I want to become. -Janny Kim

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