Welcome to my Online Teaching Portfolio
Thank you for taking the time to visit my web page. I am humbled that you took the time to view my portfolio.
A Little About Me:
I am a graduate of Grand Valley State University. I majored in English / Language Arts, and minored in Elementary Education. I am certified to teach grades K-5, and middle school language arts.
I am a life long learner who loves to keep up on the latest research and best practices in education. I recently attended a Positive Discipline workshop and became certified in Positive Discipline in the Classroom. I intend to continue my professional education and obtain my masters in literacy and childhood psychology.
What Being a Teacher Means to Me:
Encourage. Inspire. Empower.. Those three words speak to me, because they are the fundamental goals for me as a teacher. The root word for educate is the Latin word 'educo' which means "to draw out". Each child has a genius inside of them, it is how they use that genius that makes all the difference as they learn and grow (Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory). It is my job, as a teacher, to help students to "draw out" their potential and show them (by modeling) how to be a happy, healthy, proactive, and contributing member of society.
I feel that teaching is more than a career for me... It's a way of life. Teaching has been a calling for me and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work with children every day, as they tend to teach me just as much, if not more, than I teach them.