PHILOSOPHY
Teaching
Learning
Throughout my college years at Colorado State University, a passion for and knowledge of art and mathematics compelled me to pursue my teaching degree in both subject areas. Over the course of my teaching career, I began to develop a third love - technology. All three of these loves have been transformative to my teaching practices, and I strive to incorporate elements from all three contents into my classroom in order to provide each of my students with an individualized, engaging, and well-rounded educational experience. In my classroom, students are encouraged to take risks and try new things. Students complete a variety of projects using 3D printing, computer coding, and art techniques. These projects have encouraged my students to be out of the box thinkers in showcasing their learning in math.
I believe that education is the key to success for young people. As a teacher, my goal is to motivate students in ascertaining their inner strengths and abilities to discover what truly inspires them. I aim to provide a stimulating learning environment that encourages students to trust their own opinion. At the same time, I aim to foster confidence and creativity in each student so they realize their full potential. My biggest strength as an educator is in my ability to quickly build rapport with students and make them feel worthwhile. This has been the most successful part of my math teaching career. I believe that kids will care about their learning when they see a teacher care.
I have always been a firm believer that to be successful in life, one must be curious, willing to be wrong at times, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward. These are the traits I help my students to develop during their time in my class, because they are the traits that I have identified over the years as having helped me to become a strong life-long learner.
As an e-learner, I strive to be as inquisitive as possible. I take time to explore new technology and concepts. I learn by doing so I often dive head-first into new territory, making plenty of mistakes along the way, and - most importantly - learning from those mistakes. Through social engagements with my peers and like-minded strangers on the internet, I learn new ways to fix my mistakes. I am a social learner and through constant reflection internally and externally with my peers, professors, and students I gather new resources and ideas to bolster my own and create better outcomes. As a learner, I am never satisfied with one way to do something, and I will actively seek out more advanced options to make my learning that much more interesting.