BACKGOUND CHECK!

Here's some background info to get you more acquainted with me and my teaching style:


I am 24 years old and currently attend the University of South Alabama.


I am a senior and will graduate in May, 2012.

I will be graduating with a bachelor's degree and become certified in K-6 Collaborative Special/Regular Education.

I hope to be employed by MCPSS and would love the opportunity to work in the public school setting. 

I have two brothers (one older, one younger) and my mother and father will become grandparents in January. My oldest brother will be having his first child and this is a very exciting event for us all! My youngest brother attends the University of Southern Mississippi and I will be getting married to my fiance May 19th.


I played soccer for the Women's University of South Alabama Soccer Team in 2005 and dedicated the rest of my schooling career to completing my education and working year round.


I graduated Murphy High School in 2005.


I had the opportunity to participate in a dual certification program and am happy to say that it has strongly influenced where I would like to be in the next 5 to 10 years. I have had a wonderful experience up to my current student teaching and can not wait to begin teaching in the special education department of a school. I will be certified in both regular and special education, but I feel very passionate about teaching in the special education setting, and will be on the lookout for great opportunities!


I am dedicated, loyal, hardworking, and persistent in my efforts to achieve high standards. I believe everyone has the right to learn and be successful and as teachers it is our job to figure out how to help our students achieve this.


NO one has the right to tell someone else that they can NOT learn.

My Philosophy of Teaching Reading and Writing

My viewpoint on teaching reading and writing encompasses this:


Reading

Teaching with the brain in mind is a potent idea that, if carried out properly, can result in a successful learning environment rich with literacy experiences. 

It takes an explicitly planned structure, consisting of previously stated key elements such as cuing, phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension to dictate a learner’s ability to problem solve with letters. With true, undeniable comprehension as the main goal, students should also learn that reading is about the “goosebumps, giggles, and tears” they will experience as they journey through new stories. 

When reading success is accomplished in an environment where content ties in with old and new knowledge, anything can be explored, learned, and applied. Luck will not have a place in the classroom where “best-practice” is implemented by a “highly effective reading teacher”. 

All students can learn to access the world and should be provided the opportunity at any level and at every one's expense.

Writing

I believe reading and writing go hand in hand. Once a reader is able to access the world through reading, their own personal thoughts on subjects, content, and ideas can be relayed to others through writing. Writing does not come easily and naturally to all and must be taught to students in a way that gives them appropriate structure to follow, but allows them to express ideas creatively. 

I do not believe in telling students exactly what to write, and how to write it, word for word, because there will be a time in every child's life where he/she must be able to write their own ideas fluently in a way that others can easily understand. I believe every reader should be the author of his/her own ideas and that is how I plan to teach using the 6 traits of writing, or the most current programs implemented by the school system. I see the importance in using writing prompts, organizers, character development, tone development, memoir writing, and fiction/non-fiction writing. Also, I love the fact that writing can be incorporated into every subject, which only reinforces newly learned concepts while giving students the opportunity to synthesize and make connections to old concepts.

Writing should be taught and practiced throughout a growing reader's career. This is what I plan to do in my own classroom.
   

More On: How I Will Teach Reading

To view an in depth document describing how I will teach reading, using research based methods, click this.