Professional
How Did Miss LeCates End Up At HES?
They say that some people have to learn things the hard way, well I am one of those people! Out of high school I went to Wingate University to study Elementary Education. About a semester in I thought teaching was not my thing. I then pursued nursing there until the end of my freshman year where I transferred to Watts School of Nursing. Quickly I realized I was not cut out to be a nurse! A few bumps in the road later and I found myself staring education in the face again. I went down the Elementary Education road again but this time I went to the best school ever, UNC-Wilmington! I found my passion for teaching and that passion was nurtured by the most amazing professor around! I graduated in May 2017 and anxiously moved back home in hopes that I would find a full time job. Earlier in the year, Mrs. Slaughterbeck had contacted me about a long term substitute position in a 3rd grade classroom. I jumped at the opportunity and started a week after I graduated. When Mrs. Slaughterbeck offered me my current position, I did not even hesitate to accept it. Now, it wasn't that I didn't hesitate because it was a full time job, it was because it was THE job. Being a former Dolphin and knowing the amazing education that I received and the opportunities that I had, made me want to be an educator in a school like HES. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up at my dream school, let alone as a beginning teacher! I sincerely mean it when I say that I wouldn't want to teach anywhere else! As I go into my second year of teaching, I have started an online masters program in elementary education, focusing in literacy, through Western Carolina University.
Miss LeCates' Teaching Philosophy
When you're in school to become a teacher, your professors ask you to really look at who you want to be as a teacher. For me, the answer was easy. I wanted my students to know that I am here to help make them successful and not to just rush through content. I believe that each student is an individual and therefore they all learn differently. As a teacher, I strive to reach every student on a level that works for them. Education is not a one size fits all thing, it takes getting to know your students beyond a test score and find out what puts a spark in their eyes and honing in on that throughout the content being taught. I strive to make concepts relative to my students, even if that means I have to learn a whole lot about something I had no idea exist a week ago because to me, it's worth going that extra mile to see a student finally understand a concept that they have been struggling all year with. Along those same lines, everyday I tell the class that I am fine with mistakes and questions because unless I know what they are struggling with, how can I help them? This is my passion, I could never imagine doing anything else and I hope that shows through my students!
Through The Door Of Room 102
I stress one huge concept within the classroom. Kindness. From day one I have made it my mission to incorporate kindness into something we do everyday. All around the room there are posters encouraging the class to be kind. Everyday I have a quote that the class copies in their own notebook and that we discuss as a class. I try to also encourage the class to be kind when it might be hard for them. An example of this is when I tell the class to not be afraid to tell me that they don't understand something because no one will make fun of them for not understanding something. All too often children are made fun of by their peers for not knowing something, however, when it comes down to showing what you know, it is their knowledge being tested, not their friends. I know that the world can be a cruel place so I want my students to have a positive impact on people rather than showing the world that we accept negativity.