Statement of purpose
While much of my online portfolio centers around my professional resources, such as a resume or educational philosophy, I believe it also important to let the work that I have done throughout my graduate program demonstrate further who I am as a person, educator and professional.
Since entering my Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State University (MSU) in summer of 2019, I felt fulfilled, challenged, and occasionally overwhelmed. At the same time, I have also understood that the obstacles and difficulties I faced were helping to make me a stronger teacher for my students. In the showcase of my work below, I believe the growth I experienced in my program is evident.
The examples of work I have chosen are separated into three different categories: research, resources, and reflection (English teachers love a bit of alliteration!). Each of these types of work have helped me grow in different ways. My research taught me about subjects with which I had little understanding, broadening my base of knowledge in my content area. Creating valuable resources for both my students and my colleagues allowed me to feel a sense of mastery over my own learning. And, of course, reflection on myself as a teacher and learner gave me the space to recognize my own areas for improvement, as well as see how far I have come.
Since entering my Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State University (MSU) in summer of 2019, I felt fulfilled, challenged, and occasionally overwhelmed. At the same time, I have also understood that the obstacles and difficulties I faced were helping to make me a stronger teacher for my students. In the showcase of my work below, I believe the growth I experienced in my program is evident.
The examples of work I have chosen are separated into three different categories: research, resources, and reflection (English teachers love a bit of alliteration!). Each of these types of work have helped me grow in different ways. My research taught me about subjects with which I had little understanding, broadening my base of knowledge in my content area. Creating valuable resources for both my students and my colleagues allowed me to feel a sense of mastery over my own learning. And, of course, reflection on myself as a teacher and learner gave me the space to recognize my own areas for improvement, as well as see how far I have come.
Research
In this short research project, I formed my own inquiry-based question related to the instruction and assessment of writing. Specifically, I chose to investigate what research had to say about promoting student creativity in secondary writing classrooms. Some aspects of my research pushed me outside of my own comfort zone, forcing me to address whether or not my own unease was ultimately limiting my students' ability to be creative in my class. After reading through several valuable sources, I was able to brainstorm new ways to engage students in creative writing activities in my classroom which has proven incredibly practical.
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The above button links directly to a Google Drive folder full of resources from this hands-on project I completed last summer. For my literacy case study, I worked with an incoming sixth grade student, using the research I had done in class to conduct literacy assessments as well as design lessons tailored to the student's individual needs and strengths. Though I had been an English teacher for six years at the time, I had not facilitated these types of literacy assessments before, and the research I conducted throughout the project gave me valuable insight into the work that literacy specialists do. It has also helped me think about my own students' literacy in a new way, even though I may not be administering the exact same assessments in my class on a daily basis.
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Resources
In these Google Slides, I created a presentation for stakeholders - in this case, my fellow teachers - about an issue at our school. My focus was on helping secondary students write effectively, especially the many English Language Learners (ELLs) we teach who cite writing as the language domain with which they are the least comfortable. This is a presentation I hope to use during a professional development day, giving it real-world context. Creating this resource helped me feel like a truly knowledgeable professional in my field.
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Another presentation I created for real-world purposes, my resource about the benefits of social and emotional learning (SEL) in middle school classes is one of which I am particularly proud. This resource is especially important to me because of the seven years I have spent teaching either entirely or partially middle school students. In my opinion, these students often get a negative reputation where they do not deserve one. This resource helps advocate for more thorough SEL learning for all middle grade students when they need it the most.
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My Dream Project was an opportunity for me to utilize more of my creative skillset. For this project, I was able to design whatever I wanted, as long as it demonstrated my learning from the course. I chose to create resources that would be practical and helpful for me in my classroom. I made a website that guided my students through one of our units, as well as activities through online educational resources like Quizlet, Flipgrid, and Edpuzzle. This project not only challenged me to use educational tech but to use it purposefully and effectively. Because of this project, I now reflect more consistently on my technology use in lessons.
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REflection
In my text set analysis essay, I reviewed the different ways in which teachers in general, as well as myself, present poetry to students. This piece of writing was incredibly reflective in nature, as it allowed me to closely examine the ways I was doing poetry a service and disservice in my class. Through the reflection I did here, I evaluated my practices and even made it a future professional goal to incorporate new ones.
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Another aspect of my identity is not only a language teacher, but also a bilingual (hopefully one day trilingual) speaker. Especially as an educator in an international school setting working with many ELL students, being able to understand the history behind my family's languages is vital. In this project, I interviewed multiple family members, learning about the languages my ancestors spoke, going back several generations on my family tree. Reflecting on where my family has come from linguistically and where we are today provided me with a sense of empathy and understanding for the many students I teach whose families have undergone similar transformations.
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As an English teacher, one of the most important parts of my identity is 'reader.' This part of my identity has gotten lost in some ways since starting to teach. The loss is not due to lack of interest in books, but rather a heavier focus on reading the texts I need to teach my students and a lack of free time. This essay forced me to sit down and really contemplate the path I have taken as a reader throughout my life, offering valuable reflection. If we ask our students to be avid readers, should we not also be able to understand our relationship with books?
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Images used courtesy of Google Images.