Introduction
I am currently enrolled in a Masters of Education program. This program allows students with an undergraduate degree in a content area (English) to receive their initial teacher certification in conjunction with a Masters degree. I expect to complete my certification and degree in August 2007.
After receiving my Bachelors degree, I worked in the auto insurance industry for 9 years, holding various positions in the field. The corporate environment was not for me, and decided to continue my education and become a secondary English Language Arts teacher. Ideally, I would like to teach 11th grade AP American Literature. American Lit is my true favorite, and I feel drawn to the AP environment because of the necessary emphasis on writing and crafting essays. However, my passion for teaching overrides all, and I would be happy in most any Language Arts classroom.
I spent the majority of the 2005-2006 school year working as a substitute teacher. I worked primarily at a middle school, but also some at the high school level. Being a product of public schools myself, I have always respected the dedicated individuals who work to constantly improve the quality of our children’s education and lives. I am proud to be on this path towards becoming an educator.
As a pre-service teacher, I am enrolled in Theory and Pedagogy of English Instruction this Fall semester. As a requirement for the course, I am to maintain this blog, posting responses to and discoveries from course readings and class discussion. I will also read my cohorts’ blogs, and comment to their posts. I view this exercise as an opportunity to practice what I intend to encourage in my students. I believe, as in echoed in most professional texts, their is no more effective model than the teacher. Since I expect my students to write, I must write. I will use this blog as an example of the processes I want my students to follow. Students will claim ownership of their writing when they see me do the same. I will publically display my writing to encourage my students to publish.
