Professional+Statement



Some people say that they are born to teach, I can truly say that I am one of those people. I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher and started very young with experiences to help me develop my teaching skills. From teaching on a Navajo Indian reservation during my summer breaks in high school, to going to Central America to teach vacation Bible school to being a camp counselor during college, all of my free time activities seemed to revolve around my love for teaching children.

Berry College was an excellent experience for me. I began immediately doing practicum work in the schools and even had the honor of teaching art at the Berry College Laboratory School as my student job. It is during my studies here that I developed my love of project-based and inquiry based learning.

I was recruited by Fulton County Schools in Atlanta during my senior year in college and was assigned to Hapeville Elementary in the middle of inner city Atlanta. During this year, I can honestly say that I learned more about kids and their needs than I have in all my other experiences combined. Many of my students lived in hotels or had parents whom they very rarely saw and I learned after several weeks of struggling, that only after you provide for their basic needs of love and protection, will the students be ready to learn.

After two years of teaching in the classroom, I was recruited to be a technology coordinator for a local private school. I was able to learn many high level technology skills such as server management, networking skills, and program management. I was also given the opportunity to serve as a mentor and coach to the teachers which gave me the ability to move into a technology coach position for Hoover City Schools with ease, which I did for more than six years.

One of the most exciting experiences I have had was raising money for and developing a computer program for a school in Guatemala. I moved there during the summer of 2001 and was able to set up a computer lab, teach computer classes, and help with the school that served an orphanage of 500 children. This experience gave me a love of students with English as a Second Language and children of other cultures.

During the past six years, I have earned three graduate degrees and also received National Board Certification. This time has made me a reflective teacher who continually reflects on how I can improve my teaching and my classroom. I also use this as an opportunity to demonstrate to my students that learning is a continual process, whether you are in school or not.

Lastly, my latest experience of serving as a gifted specialist has given me the ability to create lessons based on students interests that allow students to learn to think at higher levels, problem solve, and learn how to learn.

All these experiences have made me who I am today; a teacher who desires to differentiate for students needs, connect students to be able to collaborate and demonstrate their learning with the world, and give them a love of learning that will last a lifetime. My goal is to have students walk out of my classroom excited about learning and wanting to know more!