Experience Summary
As a Social Worker, I have gained many skills in working with people. My field has allowed me to gain experience teaching in a variety of settings. I have taught students at the high school level in the areas of health education and general academic support. I had the experience of working as a Coordinator in a bi-lingual school in Guatemala which gave me the opportunity to be in the classroom guiding teachers and modeling techniques. While in Guatemala, I also had the opportunity to teach English as a second language to adults and adolescents. Opportunities through advanced study have given me valuable experience in writing and language study.
Teaching Style
I find that incorporating creative and fun learning techniques into academic lessons greatly improves student motivation. I enjoy learning the strengths and interests of the student in order to create opportunities to help them reach their full potential. I believe in using positive reinforcement and natural incentives in the learning process. My experience has taught me that students need to know the boundaries for classroom behavior. I believe this can be done in a positive, guiding fashion that leads to mutual respect of both teacher and student. Activities and projects help bring learning to life, so I enjoy making decisions together with the student which projects they would like to create. For example, we may create the solar system or learn to do a "Landscape" painting.