A Little About Me
As I return from a family vacation, I begin the year with a
new class. I am a student at National University. I am waiting for my student
teaching position to finish my credential and working toward my masters in
education. I have been a substitute teacher for several years and have been
very busy with teaching, my own education, volunteering, and my family. I am
looking forward to having my own class next fall, teaching 4th, 5th,
or 6th grade. After 14 months in this program, I am anxious to start
my new career.
The picture above shows my beautiful family. My husband, William, and I are lucky to have three grown, but not on their own, kids. My daughter is a biology student at San Jose State University. My middle child is at Chabot College's Fire Academy. My youngest is a high school student who is interested in programming.
My Personality Test
The Metarasa Personality Test can give insight into what
makes a person a good leader and how he or she can work with other people. I
took the test to determine my teaching style and discovered that the test
believes I have a strong sense of knowledge and insight which I like to keep
hidden from others. I am imaginative and have strong relationships but have
trouble articulating my insights to others.
I found this to be interesting. I am an introvert and have
found it hard to speak up in large gatherings. However, I tend to get along
very well with my students. I like to talk with them about what they like to do
and hear their stories. I think my shyness does not transcend to the classroom.
Realizing this, I know I must watch myself to make sure I don’t try to hide
behind my desk. I need to be out talking with the students and learning about
them as much as I can so that I can guide each one of them through their
education.
I also discovered that I am an ideological leader; I have a
strong sense of my principles and lead with those in mind. I can be very
opinionated when it comes to something I feel is right. I teach with diversity
and equality in mind. Hopefully, I can continue this as I enter my career.
My Learning Style
I also took a test to determine my learning styles. NorthCarolina’s Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire informed me that I am a
visual learner. This I already knew. I love charts, graphs, and pictures. This
has hurt me in the past. When I was at the University of California, Berkeley
ages ago as an undergraduate, I had a difficult time in the lecture hall. I
tended to not pay attention. I did have one professor in European History who
lectures while showing a slide show. I thought of it as a travel guide. I loved
his lectures because of the pictures.
When I enter the classroom, I need to remember that the
students each have their own learning styles. Some will love my anchor charts
that I will make constantly. Some will be happy reading the text and finding
answers. Some will need to incorporate movement. No matter what they need, I
must be ready and put that into my lessons. Change things up a bit so that they
all get a piece of the lesson with their own preferred learning method.
My Education Philosophy
I think my education philosophy is rooted in Progressivism.
I believe a teacher should think of the whole child when developing the
curriculum. Students need to be active in their learning. They should be
questioning and experiencing. The progressive approach helps develop critical thinking
skills in students. I am a big proponent of Project Based Learning which is part
of progressivism.
