Experience Summary
I got my first degree in English Education because of my love of literature and my desire to share that love with students. At the time I graduated, there was a greater need for elementary teachers in my area and I added elementary education to my teaching certification in order to make myself more marketable. I have taught reading, writing, at the 5th and 7th grade levels, social studies at the 1st and 5th grade levels, math and science at the 1st and 4th grade levels, and critical thinking at the 7th and 8th grade levels. I later went back to school for my Masters in Information Systems. I have tutored math in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and college algebra as well as writing in MLA and APA formats.
Teaching Style
My greatest strengths in teaching have always been in small group and one-on-one settings. I stress language arts in every subject that I teach because language is the window through which we examine every other subject. I also stress thinking skills and will very rarely "spoon-feed" students information. I prefer to ask probing questions which will help students to discover knowledge and meaning for themselves. In mathematics, I prefer to stress the practical applications of skills as well as multiple processes for reaching conclusions. I believe that everyone thinks a little differently and procedures that work for one student may not work so well for others, so it is important to offer multiple ways of accomplishing the same goal.