About Mrs. Nordstrom
Ms. Nordstrom is a graduate of the Math, Science, and Technology program at SUNY New Paltz. She is certified in Elementary Education, English 7-12, and Computer Technology 7-12.
After college, Ms. Nordstrom worked as a substitute for two years, a 4th grade teaching assistant for another two years, then a brief time as a technology assistant before coming to Van Wyck in March 2016 to serve as the Computer Applications teacher.
Outside of the classroom, Ms. Nordstrom is an avid hiker working towards completing the Catskill 3500 Challenge. For her honeymoon, she hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.
Ms. Nordstrom loves to travel and learn languages. She has been to Brazil, Sweden, Peru, France, and Japan as well as all over the United States.
She currently lives in Kingston, NY with her husband, dog named Bork, and 2 cats named Arya, and Muta.
Philosophy
I believe in a cooperative and safe community. Developing a classroom that supports a cooperative and safe community begins the first day of class. I believe that students need to be taught how to act and work cooperatively in the classroom, outside of the classroom, and in a global community.
I believe all students are intrinsically motivated to learn and grow. I believe that all students are naturally motivated to learn and succeed, but it is the job of the teacher to understand and nurture the needs of each student. Every person has the inherent psychological need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Through a yearlong study on flow experience and intrinsic motivation, I have learned the importance of considering these needs as I structure my classroom and lesson plans.
I believe in creating authentic, student centered lessons through the integration of technology. I believe in removing the teacher from the center of learning to become a guide to the students. As teachers, we need to remember that school is not about teaching, but it is about learning and we need to show our students how to learn. Integrating technology can be an effective tool to help our students learn. Technology motivates our students, encourages collaboration, and gives our students an authentic audience for their learning.