Welcome to my digital teaching portfolio! I am an English Education major at Illinois State University with a passion for literature, student engagement, and creating inclusive classroom environments. This portfolio highlights my teaching philosophy, lesson planning skills, and professional experiences as a future educator. 

 Teaching Philosophy

I believe that education should focus not only on state requirements, but also on what students enjoy and connect with. As a future high school English teacher, I want to create a classroom environment that feels welcoming, engaging, and relevant to students’ lives. While I believe classic literature still has value, I also think students should read modern stories that reflect current issues and perspectives they can relate to more easily. My goal is for students to leave my classroom with strong reading, writing, and analytical skills while also learning how to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems with others. I believe students learn best when they feel supported, involved, and genuinely interested in what they are learning.

I also believe the role of a teacher is to guide, challenge, and support students as they grow both academically and personally. In my classroom, I want students to feel comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and working together through discussion and collaboration. I hope to encourage open-mindedness, hard work, and a willingness to learn by connecting lessons to real-world experiences and giving students opportunities to have a voice in their learning. Most importantly, I want my students to feel respected, safe, and understood, just as my own teachers made me feel throughout my education.