I have a strong desire to be a teacher who is always there for my students. I want to be there not only to instruct, guide, and prepare them for the real world but to also be there for my students if they are going through a rough time. I aspire to build a positive classroom environment, where my students can approach and talk to me about things that are bothering them or are concerned about both at school and in their personal lives at home. I am here to be a role model and positive influence for my students as I want them all to succeed and not let any barriers prevent them from doing so. 

I believe that as a teacher, if you respect your students, treat them with kindness, and understand their backgrounds, then they will respect you as an authoritative figure and stay on task with the course and lessons. Nobody likes to have an authoritative figure look down upon them and not treat them as equals or be understanding of them and what they have going on in their lives outside of the classroom and school in general. So, being respectful to my students will create a mutual sense of respect that will allow the class to feel comfortable, content, and happy with where they are. 

Alongside building a positive classroom environment comes a pedagogical approach. As a teacher, I believe the type of pedagogy that will work best for my students is a combination of both collaborative pedagogy and inquiry-based pedagogy. By having these two different forms of pedagogy, my students will learn how to work together in groups and learn from each other based on their own personal observations, beliefs, and prior knowledge. This will not only help them complete certain assignments together as a group on time but will also have them be exposed to new ideas that will help them grow and learn as young adults. Being exposed to new ideas will have my students see certain topics and subjects from a different perspective, thus helping them to expand their horizons and incorporate new knowledge into their understanding of the subject material. My students will also have to ask questions, investigate, and explore topics independently for certain assignments. By doing this, it promotes critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a deeper understanding of concepts being taught in my class.

Before landing my first teaching job, I was a member of the Wake County Future Teacher Program, which helped me build toward being a successful teacher for Wake County Public Schools.

 As I do get more experience as a teacher under my belt, I want to incorporate technology into my class. Technology has grown so much since I was a student in K-12 schools. Almost every career, profession, or job has some form of technology in the 21st century. I believe that incorporating technology and different pedagogical styles into my classroom will help my students learn how to work together or individually in a digital environment along with expressing their creativity for certain projects that will be assigned to them and finishing their schoolwork in an easier manner compared to the traditional pen and paper method. Most importantly, when using technology in my classroom, I will help assist my students by using technology to make sure they all feel comfortable with the work they are given and how they can properly complete it on time.