Experience Summary
My career passion has always been to work with kids. I received a BA degree from the University of Oregon in Family & Human services. I began working right out of college with homeless and runaway street youth as a caseworker for almost 3 years. As you can imagine, this job was heart breaking and emotionally taxing. I wanted a more positive avenue to work with students so I pursued my teaching degree. I was hired in South Lane School District in 2002 and have stayed for the past 4 years. I taught 6th grade Language Arts, Social Studies, and Reading my first year. For the past three years, I have been teaching 6th grade Math and Science. I am passionate about Math and Science. Along with the core classes I have taught, I have also taught several electives: 6th grade health, art, cooking, and study skills. In addition, I have taken numerous in-service trainings in a variety of areas: writing across the curriculum, hands-on science, journaling, literacy strategies, etc. I'm a creative, hands-on teacher, I have the ability to connect well with students, and my background in social services has helped me tremendously when working with at risk youth.
Teaching Style
All students can succeed with the right guidance and support. I am an engaging, hands-on, creative teacher. I earn the trust of my students by setting clear expectations, being consistent, fair, honest, and patient. I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement to achieve desired behavior and performance. My students know I have their best interest. I follow a constructivist philosophy. Students learn best and become engaged when exposed to real life material that they can make sense of and can construct meaning from. I also believe that discourse in the classroom, the opportunity for students to share dialogue and articulate their learning to their peers is empowering.