Appalachian State University, B.S. Elementary Education, Concentration in Foreign Language and Literature
About Me
Teaching Experience:
I currently do not have a ton of teaching experience. I have completed my first set of Field Experience, which included tutoring students in an after-school program for 40 hours. I have worked at the YMCA of Chatham County for 2.5 years. While working there I helped campers with their homework, taught them games, taught them YMCA core values. For the past two summers, I have worked at Teen Valley Ranch Christian Camp and Retreat Center. During my time there I counseled middles school girls. I taught them Bible verses, walked them through devotionals, and helped teach them about God. In the future, I will be spending more time in schools and have more and more opportunities to teach.
Volunteer or Service Learning Experiences:
This semester I am doing a service learning course that allows me to teach ESL in a trailer park. Every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:00, I go and help teach English to Spanish speakers in the area. I have had the privilege of working with several different people. I usually work with a small group of 30-40-year-old women. We work on understanding conversational English, building vocabulary, and retaining information when reading. Another time, I helped a woman who was a little less advanced in her English, work on speaking with her boss. We went over questions and answers to common subjects that are discussed in her job field. This past week I worked with a girl in 3rd grade, we focused on her reading and math homework.
Special Skills:
I am currently working on mastering Spanish. I can read and write fairly well, but I am still working on my speaking and listening skills.
I have also gone through basic first aid and CPR training several times. Working at various camps has required me to complete first aid and CPR training almost every summer for the past 4 years.
Career Goals:
I would love to teach kindergarten, first, or second grade. I also love Spanish so it would be really cool to teach in a school with a bilingual program. Learning a language, dancing, moving, music, and having fun are all important to me and what I hope to be characteristics of my future classroom. All of those things can be done in ways that help teach students the standards we are required to teach them and it makes it far more memorable and enjoyable. I would love to stay in the Boone area and teach after I graduate. If I can't find a teaching position in the Watauga or Avery County area, then I would consider moving back to where I grew up and teaching in Chatham or Lee county. I hope to complete my masters at Appalachian, so I could potentially be done with school spring 2021. If I do not get into the master's program, then I will be available for hire May 2020.