About Me
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How did I get here? In December 2016, I graduated from Christopher Newport University with a Bachelors in Psychology, and worked at a short-term residential facility for children and adolescents who were experiencing severe mental health crises. During the eight months I worked as a psychiatric technician, I learned more than I ever did in school about personal growth and the human condition. Witnessing children who struggled with severe illnesses discover new reasons to live and to love themselves was the most humbling and rewarding experience I ever had. Teaching those children coping skills, basic life skills, and assisting their educational aids in supplementing their school work outside of the facility planted the seed for my love of teaching. In August of 2018, I started working as an assistant preschool teacher at The Goddard School of Plymouth Meeting near my hometown in Pennsylvania. Having no previous experience in working in early childhood education, I didn’t think it would develop into a lifelong passion – thankfully, I was wrong. For over a year, I worked with children between the ages of 3 months – 5 years, and Goddard nurtured my two largest passions in life: helping others and sharing a love of learning. Now, I am working to share those passions on a larger scale in a public school system, dedicated to being a lifelong learner and nurturing the hearts and minds of my students. |
Resume & Teaching Philosophy
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I believe teaching is a craft that cannot be neatly summed up in 250 characters or less - or even a few well-constructed sentences. As a profession, the norms and expectations of teaching are always in a state of flux; district and academic policies, curricula, technology, and the people involved are always changing, making educators' flexibility and resilience seem superhuman to many. Although I am still a novice educator, the plethora of experiences I've had are constantly shaping my teaching philosophy.
The core tenets of my teaching philosophy are:
The core tenets of my teaching philosophy are:
- Inclusion - An educational philosophy which emphasizes the need for all students to have access to the same classroom, experiences, and curricula, regardless of disability status. It is also closely tied in with differentiation, another critical component of a highly successful classroom. Inclusion encompasses every aspect of the classroom environment, from the arrangement of the physical space to how you communicate with students. Working with the special education population and neuro-diverse students in general education settings has taught me innumerable ways to create a safe, equitable, and rigorous learning environment for all future students.
- Authenticity - A trait that encompasses the high standard of leadership, connection, pedagogy, assessment, and mentorship that I strive to bring into my classroom every day. Authenticity is synonymous with realness, and for me, that means embracing the mistakes and triumphs I and my students will make, as well as designing instructional experiences that are culturally relevant, academically rigorous, and overall enriching.
- Inquiry - Commonly cited as an essential component of 21st century learning, inquiry is a hot topic among educators, researchers, and policymakers alike. I interpret inquiry as the spirit of exploration and discovery in learning, which can be channeled at any time in the learning process. Many years of research - especially in early childhood education - have illustrated the importance of interactive learning from a young age. The zest for knowledge that resides in every child should be harnessed at an early age and built upon as they progress throughout their schooling, tapping into their genuine curiosity and zeal in every academic subject.
- Community - The classroom meant to be a curated community of learners that act with respect, rapport, and integrity. I firmly believe in the power of a productive community, and the classroom is an ideal place to begin modeling acceptance and cohesion for students so they can attain success in subsequent schooling and beyond. In the modern world where we are interconnected like never before, it is especially important for us to know how to effectively communicate, collaborate, and innovate together. It is an educator's duty, therefore, to prepare students for the world outside the classroom by allowing them to safely practice these skills in a classroom built on trust and authenticity.
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