About Me

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching career technically began in 7th grade. As a result of a scheduling error, I was assigned to be a Student Assistant to my junior high school’s ESL class. Walking in, I had no idea what was expected of me, but by the time the year ended, I knew that something had fundamentally shifted in the way that I viewed the world. I worked with students, who were not only my peers, but had also been forced to flee their homelands, and were in the process of learning the skills to help them build a new life. As we worked together to the master the basics of the English Language, I realized that my patience, compassion and understanding, as well as my gift for communication, helped my fellow students to make enormous strides towards their own educational and life goals.

Years later, after being both a student and a mentor, I began my own teaching career with the goal of continuing to inspire, educate and encourage my fellow humans as they embarked on their personal journeys to success both in college and in life. I believe that it is not enough to simply possess or give knowledge, but that it is imperative that one be able to use and apply their intelligence in a positive way in whatever situation one finds themselves. Therefore, I subscribe to the principles that allow deep and long-lasting learning.

I base many of my instructional decisions on data derived from Brain-Based learning. I strive to activate prior knowledge in my students and allow them to form stronger, long- lasting neural connections. Multi-modal reinforcement activities are integral to solidifying the dendrites to allow for efficient recall and connection of important ideas when needed. As such, I incorporate student-centered, active learning strategies into the classroom as much as I can. Not only do these activities keep students engaged, but they also promote the retention and recall of information for years to come.

Additionally, when students are engaged with the material, they are creating an emotional response, and often having fun in the process. Through class activities, students lower their affective filters and stress, which also help them acquire and maintain information. By interacting with their fellow students, they create a shared experience, combining content material while acknowledging their own humanity.

I have often seen that sometimes students are their own worst enemies, and I aim to help them deal with the ups and downs of education. I believe in helping them develop a growth mindset, and learning from not only their successes, but also their failures. I offer them guidance on how to shed any unproductive habits and adopt new techniques in order to keep them moving forward towards their educational and personal goals.

I also believe that technology has a lot to offer students as long as it is deployed in a deliberate and effective manner. However, I also recognize that there some things that technology cannot replace or replicate effectively enough to warrant its use in the classroom. Understanding and working through student frustration, and pinpointing individual strengths and weaknesses are a few of the limitations of current technology, and these issues are still best handled with a kind, understanding, yet firm and unwavering human touch.

At the end of the day, education is my passion and calling, and I strive to offer my students a variety of tools and resources to use as they navigate their way successfully through college and life.