Model Teachers:
Career & Technical Education

Content: CTE
School: Woodside High
Years Taught: 2

What do you most love about teaching?  
I love that I get the opportunity each day to positively engage with and shape the minds of students. I love watching their faces light up when they learn something new or make a connection to their existing background knowledge.  I also love when I get the chance to learn and share new ideas or skills with my students or fellow teachers.

Why are you passionate about supporting fellow teachers?
As a new teacher, I benefited from the network of teachers who were willing to share their time, best practices, and resources with me. I look forward to encouraging, motivating and sharing with my fellow teachers what I have learned, but also learning from others how to continue to improve my teaching skills. By working together, I believe that we all become better teachers, which benefits the students in our district.

What two words best describe you as a teacher?  Why?
The two words which best describe me as a teacher would be passionate and caring.  As a passionate teacher, I am committed and excited about the growth of my students. I come in each day focused on finding ways to excite, engage and educate students using a variety of instructional strategies. I love the subjects that I teach and the art of teaching. I am driven to continually improve my craft because each student's needs are different and because our culture and society are rapidly changing. As a result, it has become important that I learn new ways to engage my students in the learning environment.

As a caring teacher, I am committed to the well-being of every student.  I make an effort to learn about my students and their needs, home environments, activities, and interests outside of school. I attend multiple student activities throughout the school year so that my students feel supported and encouraged. Lastly, I focus each day on delivering a smile and words of positive affirmation because I believe both can go a long way in student growth and development.