Welcome!
This website chronicles my journey thus far as an elementary school teacher, from my first day of teaching in the Dominican Republic to this year of student teaching in a kindergarten class at the Penn Alexander School in Philadelphia.
My journey as a teacher began in 2009, when I moved to the Dominican Republic to work with Kids Alive International. My first year there, I worked as a reading tutor. But my second year, I was handed a group of 6-year-olds! It was the first day of school; I had no preparation, no experience, and no idea what I was doing! All I knew was that I had been entrusted with the HUGE responsibility not only of teaching these students to read and write, but of cultivating in them a love of learning and a love of reading. So I taught. I read everything I could get my hands on about teaching, literacy, and classroom management. Each day I tried my best to create an affirming, loving classroom environment that invited my students to explore and engage in learning. And, miraculously, it worked! I survived my first year of teaching!
I entered my second year of teaching with new curriculum, new classroom resources, and a new enthusiasm. And my first graders responded, eager to learn and quick to take ownership of their education. By the end of the year, almost all my students were reading books on their own! We even were able to put on several class plays that required a lot of reading and memorizing lines!
Despite what seemed like success in my classroom, I was aware almost daily of missing pieces in my knowledge of education. More than ever, I wanted to learn how to teach. So I decided to apply to a Masters in Elementary Education program. After researching various programs, I was most drawn to the Teacher Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania. The program focuses on education as a means of achieving social justice and on urban education, which has many similarities to developing world education. Also, the program allows me to obtain my MS Elementary Ed and my initial K-6 teacher certification in just 10 months! I am excited to learn everything I can this year so that I will be better equipped to serve children in underprivileged situations.
My journey as a teacher began in 2009, when I moved to the Dominican Republic to work with Kids Alive International. My first year there, I worked as a reading tutor. But my second year, I was handed a group of 6-year-olds! It was the first day of school; I had no preparation, no experience, and no idea what I was doing! All I knew was that I had been entrusted with the HUGE responsibility not only of teaching these students to read and write, but of cultivating in them a love of learning and a love of reading. So I taught. I read everything I could get my hands on about teaching, literacy, and classroom management. Each day I tried my best to create an affirming, loving classroom environment that invited my students to explore and engage in learning. And, miraculously, it worked! I survived my first year of teaching!
I entered my second year of teaching with new curriculum, new classroom resources, and a new enthusiasm. And my first graders responded, eager to learn and quick to take ownership of their education. By the end of the year, almost all my students were reading books on their own! We even were able to put on several class plays that required a lot of reading and memorizing lines!
Despite what seemed like success in my classroom, I was aware almost daily of missing pieces in my knowledge of education. More than ever, I wanted to learn how to teach. So I decided to apply to a Masters in Elementary Education program. After researching various programs, I was most drawn to the Teacher Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania. The program focuses on education as a means of achieving social justice and on urban education, which has many similarities to developing world education. Also, the program allows me to obtain my MS Elementary Ed and my initial K-6 teacher certification in just 10 months! I am excited to learn everything I can this year so that I will be better equipped to serve children in underprivileged situations.