Teaching & Learning in a Pandemic: Spring 2021

Maya Lewis

mlewi017@odu.edu

Who I am

My name is Maya Lewis. I am currently a senior at Old Dominion University. I am pursuing my Master's Degree right after I finish my Bachelor's Degree.

21 years ago in May of 1999, a little baby girl was brought into this world. Her future seemed bright even though she did not come out that way. In fact, she came out half gray. It was very alarming to her parents but all is well. Because she never stopped smiling and made sure it would always shine bright. This baby girl goes on start school and she finds out that she enjoys learning. She becomes ecstatic knowing she is getting ready for the journey of a lifetime! KINDERGARTEN. Once she gets there she gets so excited she almost explodes with laughter and joy.

From that one magical day entering Kindergarten, a student who loved to learn, work hard, and make good grades arose. She grows up to become an honors graduate in high school. Eventually moving into an even bigger and brighter, mystical land...College!

But before she evens get to College, she has to decide what she wants to be. Hmmmm, that's a tough choice considering she loves to do a lot of things. Maybe she'll go on to be a makeup artist, or maybe the owner of a daycare, or maybe a counselor. The possibilities are endless, and being indecisive, this was a tough choice for her. But, she knew in her heart that she wanted to be a teacher. She loved music and loved kids and she knew she could combine those loves in her classroom. What really pushed her to make this decision was her amazing mother who taught Kindergarten and First grade. Now that she knows what she wants to do, she works hard in college to pursue her dream of becoming a Pre-Kindergarten teacher.

I know how difficult it is being a student.
I know everyone learns differently.
I know that sometimes you will need help and that's its ok to ask for it.

What I Know

I know that in life you have to be the best version of yourself or that you should at least try to be. Your life and what happens in it is up to you. But a better life starts with a better mindset! Like my bitmoji said, "Knowledge is power" and it truly is! The one thing no one can ever take away from you in life is your knowledge/ education.

A word of advice to my peers and anyone else is that in life, you will probably face a certain amount of adversity; more than what you would like at times... However, the key to facing adversity is to adapt to the situation. It is very easy to give up when adversity gets thrown at you, BUT you write your story!! Therefore, you have to choose to keep pushing forward. If you can do that, you basically already have part of life down.

Adding to this for my students, I would let them know that as long as you believe in yourself, work hard, and keep moving no matter what life throws at you, you will make it in this world.

What I have to learn

I have to learn how become culturally aware of students .
I have to learn how to manage a classroom no matter what the setting is.
I have to be able to immediately accept changes, whether it be in the classroom or in the school system.
I will learn to work on creating and maintaining relationships with students.
I will learn to work on making sure that I listen to my students.
I have to learn how to be aware of any biases I may have.

The Teacher I will Become

I will become a compassionate teacher. I will be understanding, loving, and caring. I will make sure that I listen to and observe my students so that I can better understand their needs.

I believe the purpose of school is to provide knowledge and essentially prepare students for life.

I will prepare my students for life and dedicate my time and effort to make sure they are well-rounded individuals.

I will teach in a way that is engaging to the students and make my lessons interactive, and I will make sure to incorporate inquiry-based learning into my lessons. I am the light the guides their pathway. I am here to guide them and change how they see learning. I will make learning more exciting for them and I will work with them and help improve the areas in which they lack.

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