In all reality, I never imagined myself becoming a teacher. Growing up with ADHD, learning didn’t come easy to me. I dabbled in many careers, but it wasn’t until my little brother was born that I discovered my love for teaching, working with children, and beginning to make a difference in their lives. Mitchell, my little brother, was born when I was fifteen, and I was working in fast food, knowing next to nothing about children and babies. I was trying to navigate high school with the pressure of figuring out what I wanted to be in life. I had no idea at the time, and teaching wasn’t on my radar. This changed when my brother was born. My eyes opened to a new experience, and for the first time, I considered teaching/childcare after caring for my brother as he grew. Mitchell ignited a spark that had been hiding in my heart all along. I wanted to be a resource for him, which led to the drive to help other children as well.

My little brother and past experiences helped me find my passion. Being a teacher won’t always be perfect, but I am able to own my humility, shed my perfectionist mentally, and embrace those imperfect moments with the patience of my students. I will cultivate a community of learners that hold the power of knowledge at their fingertips and use their individual differences as superpowers. I wanted to become a teacher to make a difference and positively impact students’ lives. My little brother and past pupils showed that a great teacher can change the life of a student one moment at a time. It is my goal to remind the educational world that teaching is a way of life, not a paycheck. Ultimately, I want to be the person, the teacher, that I didn’t have growing up. 

Boddle is an adaptive math and reading program that blends practice with cute animation and games. To progress, students work through practice questions. Each question has voiced audio, a drawing tool, and a video explainer that details how to work through the problem. Questions adjust based on student performance. Students are rewarded with a short animation after every question as well as points redeemable for items to customize their avatar's home and wardrobe, or to play games in the arcade.

Blooket is a trivia and review tool that allows educators to “level up classroom engagement”. Blooket is a gamified learning platform where teachers host games through question sets and students answer on their own devices. This is an assessment tool, specifically formative assessment. When students get correct answers, they receive points. This new take on reviewing or practicing material can increase student engagement and excitement.