Experience Summary
I graduated from Illinois State University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, and a friend recommended me for an assistant job within a special education cooperative. I accepted the position and continued doing this for five years. The time I spent doing this career is what ultimately made me realize my love for teaching children. During the first couple of semesters at Illinois State, I was able to substitute part-time, which was also a great experience since it allowed me to work in a variety of different classrooms and to teach diverse groups of children. I completed all tasks as assigned by the teacher, including the instruction of lesson plans adapted for specific students and groups of students.
Teaching Style
Based on my past teaching experiences, I have learned that in order to motivate students to learn, it’s imperative to make connections between the curriculum and their prior experiences and interests. I believe that it is unrealistic to expect students to learn at the same rate and have identical learning styles, so teachers must differentiate their instruction to account for all types of learning abilities, levels, interests, and talents. For instance, teachers should be able and willing to plan lessons and/or assessments that allow students to utilize their own individual and unique intelligences, such as perhaps music or art.