"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things ... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
Walt Disney |
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I am a social studies teacher dedicated to establishing a creative, diverse, and thriving educational environment for all students. I am committed to leading students into a passionate exploration of the world, both past and present.
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Born in the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts, I attended Easthampton Public Schools until I graduated in 2008. I then attended University of Massachusetts in Amherst where I discovered my interest in culture and the society around me. I obtained my Bachelors of Arts in Communication and received a minor in Political Science in May 2013. Post-graduation I went straight into my two-year Masters program through the College of Education at University of Massachusetts in Amherst from which I graduated with my M.Ed in Secondary Education in History in May 2015.
I am very passionate about learning - always searching for new things and enjoying new discoveries. I am excited about sharing my interests and passion along to future generations. My favorite topic is any that connects history and communication - primarily how American culture has changed from decade to decade and how the different aspects affect each other, be it the rise of social movements, mass media, politics, economics, or what have you.
As an educator, my primary goal is to create a classroom in which all students learn to become informed and open-minded members of society - not only by providing them with facts and knowledge of history, politics and economics, but also by giving them the tools they need in order to find reliable information on their own and be successful in the world. I want them to have an opinion on current events, both internationally and domestically; and I want a classroom environment what encourages all opinions, thoughts and questions to be heard and discussed respectfully.
In my graduate program I studied the concept of 'democratic teaching,' through which the classroom and students claim more responsibility for their own learning, with the teacher acting as a guide. These practices, as developed by Dr. Irene LaRoche and Dr. Robert Maloy, include the 7 C's of democratic teaching - Contrasting, Conducting, Collaborating, Conversing, Conferring, Co-Constructing, and Connecting. Through my studies I experienced the benefits of implementing these practices into the classroom through their effectiveness for both learning and teaching. I have developed a passion for creating a democratic classroom through these practices based on the climate of the school, the culture of the students, and the curriculum being taught. Furthermore, I have dedicated myself to maintaining knowledge and interest in current and developing methods in the field to be continuously ever changing and adapting in the classroom.
I am very passionate about learning - always searching for new things and enjoying new discoveries. I am excited about sharing my interests and passion along to future generations. My favorite topic is any that connects history and communication - primarily how American culture has changed from decade to decade and how the different aspects affect each other, be it the rise of social movements, mass media, politics, economics, or what have you.
As an educator, my primary goal is to create a classroom in which all students learn to become informed and open-minded members of society - not only by providing them with facts and knowledge of history, politics and economics, but also by giving them the tools they need in order to find reliable information on their own and be successful in the world. I want them to have an opinion on current events, both internationally and domestically; and I want a classroom environment what encourages all opinions, thoughts and questions to be heard and discussed respectfully.
In my graduate program I studied the concept of 'democratic teaching,' through which the classroom and students claim more responsibility for their own learning, with the teacher acting as a guide. These practices, as developed by Dr. Irene LaRoche and Dr. Robert Maloy, include the 7 C's of democratic teaching - Contrasting, Conducting, Collaborating, Conversing, Conferring, Co-Constructing, and Connecting. Through my studies I experienced the benefits of implementing these practices into the classroom through their effectiveness for both learning and teaching. I have developed a passion for creating a democratic classroom through these practices based on the climate of the school, the culture of the students, and the curriculum being taught. Furthermore, I have dedicated myself to maintaining knowledge and interest in current and developing methods in the field to be continuously ever changing and adapting in the classroom.