亚历克西斯霍华德

当前位置: 阿宾顿学区的三年级老师

故事最后更新:2021年2月
当前位置更新:2021年2月

I’ve known that I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a teen年龄r. I’ve always enjoyed working with children, whether it was babysitting or tutoring. When I was applying to colleges, education was the only major that interested me. I became a teacher to motivate, encour年龄 and share my love of learning with students.

为什么GMercyU

我选择了GMercyU 幼儿教育和特殊教育 因为教师和教师学徒计划(TAP). 我记得和妈妈一起来学校参加开放日活动, 教育学院的教职员工张开双臂欢迎我. 在开放日，我和 Ms. Pierantozzi他花时间回答了我所有的问题. I did not feel like she was rushing to go to the next prospective student. This stood out to me because it reiterated that GMercyU was a smaller and more personable school. Coming from a larger University, I was not use to this interaction with 教师.

我选择GMercyU也是因为它的TAP项目. As a first-time transfer, I did a lot of research about education 项目. GMercyU的项目之所以能吸引我是因为TAP. TAP allows students to enter the field as a freshman compared to other 项目 where you do not enter a classroom until much later.

GMercyU encour年龄d students to get into the field to learn best practices and the strategies needed to be a teacher.

GMercyU经验

在GMercyU学习期间，我一直是Griffin大使. Griffin Ambassadors provide information and campus tours to prospective students. Being a Griffin Ambassador was one of the highlights of my college career. This 程序 allowed me to stay involved on campus and meet new people. 我最亲密的朋友是狮鹫大使.

作为格里芬大使，我成了一个联络人 教育 程序. 由于我的课程工作和实习经验, 我对学校提供的教育项目很了解. 因此，我与她密切合作. Pierantozzi和 Dr. 舒德尔 to share information about GMercyU's 教育 程序 to prospective students.

在我的TAP经历中, 我学到了一些策略, 项目, 以及我今天在课堂上使用的最佳实践. I was fortunate to be placed in several general education and special education classrooms across the Montgomery County area ranging from Kindergarten through Sixth Grade. I was able to learn new skills with each grade as they differ tremendously. 我的合作老师和导师是宝贵的资源. 直到今天，我仍然会与他们联系，提出问题并分享想法.

The highlight of my TAP experience was getting the opportunity to teach the class. One of my favorite lessons that I taught was a math Jeopardy Game for the Concepts of Money to a fourth-grade class. 学生们都很兴奋，沉浸在课堂上. 这让我为拥有自己的教室做好了准备.

通过COVID-19进行学生教学

My last semester at GMercyU was not what I expected as a freshman. 我的教学实习是100%远程的. 在这个位置, students received four days of synchronous instruction and one day of asynchronous instruction per week. I co-taught a fifth-grade class with a supportive cooperating teacher and University supervisor. I fully immersed myself in the district’s culture through professional learning communities, 专业的发展, 还有教职工会议. This experience allowed me to see the daily challenges of teaching during a pandemic.

作为这次经历的结果, there was one thing I was able to take away from my placement - equity. Regardless of an educational format, equity plays a vital role in education.

In a virtual setting, students have various factors impacting their 教育. For example, internet connection plays a huge role in providing an equitable education to all. 作为老师, we must think outside of the box to provide an equitable education to all of our students regardless of the instructional model.

Throughout my time at GMercyU, the one thing we were taught time and time again was flexibility. As a teacher, you must be flexible with your schedule and planning to meet your students’ needs. During this uncertain time, flexibility is a must as things are continually changing. For example, technology and internet connection is continuously evolving in a hybrid setting. It is always essential to have a plan B and sometimes even C with your lessons.

在我的TAP过程中, Pre-学生教学, 与学生教学, 我学到了很多摆脱电子游戏mg官方网站社会情绪学习(SEL). During this unprecedented time, things are continually changing for young children. It is vital that students feel as though they have a connection in a classroom. It is difficult for students to feel connected regardless of their instructional model.

It is important to build relationship skills and support systems with your students. 我每天都把SEL融入我的课堂. 当我刚开始工作的时候, it was important that I get to know my students before speeding 100 miles per hour into the academics. I used get-to-know-you activities and sharing opportunities to establish a bond and class community in my virtual and physical classroom. 我经常和我的学生联系. In addition, to check in’s, every Friday we do an activity called “Rose, Bud, Thorn.“通过这个活动, students share different aspects of their week inside the classroom and outside of school. 我创造了一个安全的地方让学生们分享，如果他们愿意的话.

作为一名教育者, 我相信学生在良好的环境中茁壮成长, 在COVID-19期间哪些是必要的.

毕业后成功

我找工作有点不寻常. It all started midway through my virtual student teaching placement when my cooperating teacher asked me to send her my resume. My resume was then shared with the principal and later the Human Resources department. Almost a month later, I received a call offering me a position with the school district. 我参加了两个学区不同职位的面试. My position changed several times before I officially started a month later. I began my job prematurely due to the need for teachers during the pandemic. I have been working as a third-grade teacher with the Abington School District since December 2020.