A+Little+Bit+About+Me

I think I always wanted to become a teacher. I can remember all the way back to when I was little & how I used to love to play school. As I got older, I LOVED going to school. I always admired my teachers & tried to be just like them. When I was in high school, I thought about many careers, but always seemed to go back to teaching. So after I graduated from __Saint Hubert High School in 1991__, I persued my career. I attended __Holy Family College (now Holy Family University)__ & majored in Elementary Education. While I was at Holy Family, I observed many teachers. I watched & learned how they were able to manage a classroom of 30 students. It was amazing to me. Probably my best influence & teacher was my mother, herself. I used to go & observe & volunteer in her classroom while I was in college. In my senior year, I completed my student teaching in a sixth grade classroom. I absolutely LOVED it! Sixth grade was my favorite grade when I was in elementary school. It wasn't just the material, but the children as well. There was just somehting about them. Maybe it was their independence or their personality; I'm not sure. I __graduated from Holy Family University in 1995__ with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. The following year I got a job as a substitute teacher at the school in which I did my student teaching, Saint Matthew School, in sixth grade. I was thrilled. That was only from April until June. At the end of the school year, the principal offered me that sixth grade position, & I've been there ever since! I am now teaching seventh grade Math and Social Studies. I have been teaching at Saint Matthew School for 14 years.

Although I feel that I would be highly capable of teaching fourth and fifth grade, I do enjoy teaching sixth and seventh grade so much. To me it's a lot of fun & somewhat of a challenge. When you teach sixth and seventh graders you never know what you are in for. Their personalities are so different from year to year. That's what I like. I never know what to expect from them. It's never boring. I'm always looking for new ways to present information & keep them motivated, especially in today's world. I try to stay on top of the latest technology & use it in my classroom. For example, I use PowerPoint presentations in my teaching. I am also fortunate enough to have a SMART board and document camera in my room. Our school was also able to supply the seventh and eighth students with netboooks. For example, the students have created their own PowerPoint presentations.The students have also created Podcasts on a famous person of the American Revolution. I have created my own website for the children & parents to use as a resource. It's [], you can also read more about me there as well. I also have a Porta Portal, which is a collection of my favorite valuable websites for students to use as reference & enrichment. You can visit my PortaPortal at [].

In order to manage an upper grade classroom, one needs to see eye to eye with the children. They're not little anymore & don't want to be treated that way. I treat all my students with the same amount of respect. We work together to make a peaceful & harmonious classroom. The students, parents, and I work together to keep my classroom smooth and efficient. I really motivate my students to do their best. I understand that students are individuals with distinct abilities. Therefore I do my best to meet students' needs. That's what is important to me.

What do you teach, you ask? AIthough my experience had been teaching in a departmentalized system, I have taught all subjects in sixth grade including the Advanced Math class. This is an accelerated class. The students in here learn their sixth grade math curriculum at a faster pace & are introduced into the seventh grade curriculum a year earlier. This past year, I was asked to move to a new grade and teach seventh grade. I am currently teaching Math to all students, including the Advanced class, and two classes of American History. I enjoy teaching because it is fulfilling to me to see the students working at their full potential.

So, this is just a little glimpse into who I am as a teacher. As you browse this site, you will learn more about my teaching style & methods as well as who I am. I hope you enjoy your visit!

= My Links = My Website: [] My PortaPortal for students: []