Lesson Plan Supplemental Materials

In my previous post, I created a lesson plan for a high school algebra class on Functions. The lesson plan covers two 55-minute class periods and incorporates technology to engage the students and enhance their comprehension. Two common core standards are addressed in the lesson plan, F-IF-1 (Interpreting Functions) and F-BF-1 (Building Functions). After being introduced to functions earlier in the unit, students are expected to review the concept of functions and associated vocabulary in this lesson. They also study different types of functions and examine their corresponding graphs. Finally, students explore a real world application of functions by studying the relationship between the pizza one orders at Pizza Hut and the cost of that pizza. Throughout the lesson, students will play online games, watch videos, utilize a class chatroom to communicate with the teacher, experiment with the Pizza Hut App, graph a function using ChartGo, and record several entries in their math journals along the way.  

Below is a snapshot of some of the materials used in this lesson plan! 


** In order for the students to communicate with the teacher, I created a private chat for my algebra class using Chatzy. The conversation is free and secure - students must enter a password to enter the room.

Chatzy also allows users to post surveys in the chatroom. I created a generic survey to gauge how well students are grasping the material we covered in class. Their results are anonymous, but I can adjust my lesson as needed based on how many (or how few) students report feeling confident about the material!

You can visit the room I created for this assignment by following this link:
http://www.chatzy.com/28224546511540


**Another piece of technology the students used during class was the ChartGo website. On this site, students can create a graph of the relationship between a pizza order and the cost of that pizza.

Once the graph is finished, students have the opportunity to save their graph, print it, or even get an embed code for a blog. (See my example graph embedded below!)

Graphing


** A third piece of technology used for this lesson plan was Google Forms, which is a great resource for creating assessments. At the end of the unit, students will take the following exam:

My Technology Lesson Plan

EDUC2220LessonPlan SF on Scribd

Check out https://www.scribd.com/ if you like what you see!

QR Code

This is my QR code for my blog! I was able to create and 

download my code for free from http://goqr.me/ - check 

out their website! Using the QR code, anyone with 

access to a scanner can link directly to my blog! 

Growing Up Online

"Growing Up Online" is a Frontline documentary that studies the cyber world and its effects on educators, parents and teens in our new digital age. Focusing on a community of secondary students in New Jersey, in-depth interviews provide an interesting and revealing look into the various uses, benefits and dangers of engaging with the online world. Educators discuss the trials they face in teaching students who have grown up immersed in technology, and the work they put in to adapt their classroom content to the next generation. Parents describe their fears about technology and the trouble they have monitoring their children's use of it. Students reveal various kinds of activities they are engaging in online, and they also describe their perceptions of social media and the necessity of having an online presence to keep up with peers. I thought the documentary was excellent and thought-provoking, and I would definitely recommend it to fellow educators and anyone else who plans to work with students of future generations.

1. A survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that in 2004, 67 percent of parents said the Internet has been a good thing for their children. However, this number decreased to 59 percent in 2006. In 2012, 69% of parents of online teens said they were concerned about how their child’s online activity might affect their future academic or employment opportunities, with some 44% being “very” concerned. Cite some reasons why parental support for their children’s independent internet use is decreasing. Why do you think the number of parents who reported the Internet being a good thing for their children has decreased?   A vast majority of teenagers have an online presence, and parents have some good reasons for being concerned about their online activity. One concern that has received media coverage is the threat of online predators, people who pretend to be someone else in order to meet children and teens and lure them into harmful situations. Another problem receiving growing media attention is cyber bullying, where students take their bullying online and can humiliate a peer in a world that parents and teachers may not even see. Several cases of cyber bullying have led to suicide. With these threats, parents view the internet as a danger instead of a good thing for their children. In general, parents worry about their children using the internet because there are few ways to monitor and control their activity, and they fear that children will make bad decisions with severe consequences. Even if their children do know who they are interacting with online, the pictures they post and the social media profiles they create may adversely affect their future academic or employment opportunities. 

2. More teachers are using tools to try to detect cheating or deter students’ inclination to cheat. In the program, we see the use of plagiarism-detection tools like Turnitin.com and writing assignments completed during class time to make sure students do their own work and generate their own ideas.  // How can we as educators stop students from using material they found online as their own work? Should that be considered cheating, in your opinion?   As educators of children who have grown up immersed in technology, our students will naturally turn to the internet as a resource for schoolwork. One of the first tasks we need to accomplish to stop students from using material found online as their own work is to educate them about plagiarism. We need to ensure they understand that using someone else's work as their own IS cheating, and encourage them to avoid this pitfall. We hope to see our students succeed in higher education, and academic dishonesty is not tolerated in college courses. In order to prepare our students to succeed, we must be on the same page as these colleges. Assigning in class writing assignments where students must generate their own ideas is a great way for them to practice completing their own work. Later on, when students do complete work outside of class and have access to online sources, it is important to communicate that there will be consequences for cheating, and enforce those consequences if students attempt to use someone else's work as their own. 

3. One student claims he "never reads books" but relies on summaries and annotated notes he finds on Web sites. He confesses that he feels guilty about this, stating, "I feel like I kind of cheated it." // In your opinion, should he feel guilty? Why or why not?  Although it is all too common to find this type of behavior among today's students, I do believe he should feel guilty. Relying on someone else's study and summary of a book is within the definition of cheating. The intent of the assignments are for students to read an author's work themselves and complete any accompanying work, and if a student never reads the book themselves, they are skipping the majority of the assignment. Using online summaries and notes also goes against the intent of those resources - they are meant to be used for review and were never intended to replace the actual reading of the content they summarize. More importantly, the student is stunting their own education by relying on outside sources instead of doing the work themselves, and this could have devastating long-term consequences for their education.  

4. Before the Internet, in order to be seen by the world, you had to be portrayed in some form of mass media, and you had to be famous in some respect -- in the news, in politics or as a celebrity. Now anyone can be seen online by anyone else in the world. Some people have become famous for videos or photos they’ve posted (such as Autumn Edows). // In your opinion, should people like Edows, or others who become “ famous” through their online presence, be considered “celebrities?” Has the ability to create an online persona, and receive worldwide attention for it, affected our cultural values?   I do not think people who become "famous" from online pictures or videos should be considered celebrities. While there are a variety of ways to become famous, a true celebrity is someone that many people can look up to or admire, someone with a contribution to society worth celebrating. It is common for a good president or political leader to become a celebrity, or a talented actress or singer. Many people admire the accomplishments of these people, and their growing popularity leads them to become celebrities in that sense. With online attention, anyone can become "famous", whether or not their accomplishment or contribution is worth much value. I do believe this new ability to receive worldwide attention for an online persona has affected our cultural values. Instead of promoting those whose accomplishments are worth our attention and affection, we promote anyone that seeks attention. Our culture is more interested in something that entertains us, even if only for a moment, instead of valuing long-term contributions to society around us. This type of culture encourages people to pursue attention however they can instead of encouraging people to seek out more reputable accomplishments.

5. Shows like "To Catch a Predator" on Dateline NBC contribute to parental anxiety about online media. It is obvious that certain elements of programs like “To Catch a Predator,” and even this documentary, will likely increase parents’ fears. // Cite one current event from the past year where a young person has been affected (positively or negatively) by being active online. (find a link to a news story, describe it in your answer to this question, and provide the link as well).    A recent trend among students that has led to several deaths is the "extreme selfie" challenge, where teenagers attempt to take photos of themselves in extreme situations. The trend is promoted online as teens hope to gain likes on social media. This trend has had a negative influence on young people by encouraging them to put themselves in danger. An article by Rolling Stone gives ten recent examples of young people who died while trying to take selfies. 
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/pictures/death-by-selfie-10-disturbing-stories-of-social-media-pics-gone-wrong-20160714/accidental-cliff-dive-20160713

6. Teasing, lying, gossiping, threatening, spreading rumors or harassing online (and offline) can severely affect people’s self-concept and self-esteem and have an impact on their emotional state. In the program, we see one girl who describes flirting with boys and then revealing she was just kidding. She explains: "You wouldn’t do that to someone’s face, but online is completely different. ... No one can do anything. You’re at your house, they’re at their house." // In her quote, this teen is describing Suler’s disinhibition effects. Which one do you think it is, and why?    This quote is an example of Suler's Effect called dissociative imagination, "It's Just a Game."  Under this effect, the girl is separating her online presence from her reality offline, and she views her online activity as a game. She doesn't believe that "rules" apply online, and she believes she can leave all of her flirting and games behind once she leaves her computer. In her quote, she expresses that she believes online games have different rules than reality when she states "You wouldn't do that to someone's face, but online is completely different... No one can do anything." 

7. At the end of the program, Greg decides it’s time for him to "disconnect" by going to the Coast Guard Academy, where he will spend seven weeks without cell phones or the Internet. // 
Have you ever thought about "disconnecting" from it all? Do you think it would be easy or difficult for you personally? What would you enjoy or dislike about disconnecting?

I have "disconnected" from social media before by deactivating my facebook account, and I would definitely consider doing it again. I found that it was more enjoyable to learn things from my friends by talking to them and hearing about exciting events directly from them, instead of learning about their life from social media, even if I hadn't seen them in a while. I also felt less distracted when I was working, studying, hanging out with people, and other daily tasks because I never needed to check my facebook. That being said, there were some drawbacks to removing myself from social media, such as missing out on an opportunity to connect with friends who live further away and missing some invitations to events that were only posted online. If I were to disconnect again, I would miss these opportunities again. Although I would love to free myself of the distractions once more, I think it would be more difficult this time around since most people my age rely heavily on social media for a lot of communication. 

Pinterest in the Classroom

I am familiar with the idea of Pinterest and have many friends who use it, but I have never considered using it to collect ideas for my future classroom. I have never created different boards either, but I enjoyed learning how to categorize different pins in this activity. I think I will definitely use my account as a teacher to collect ideas for lesson plans, student activities, and even just cute design ideas for my classroom decorations. One huge strength of Pinterest is the variety of materials available. Since users from all over the world can post, Pinterest is a great location to share ideas and collect resources. Another strength of Pinterest is the search bar - you can search any topic and find numerous pins, and the results are surprisingly accurate. I also like how it shows other similar posts once you choose to pin something. One challenge of using Pinterest is that the links do not always work. A pin will have an awesome looking picture of an activity, but the link does not lead anywhere. This is frustrating when I was really curious about the idea. Another challenge is that Pinterest sends a ton of email spam. I am going to update my settings to receive less of these, but no social media site should ever need to send that many emails, regardless of how much users like them! In general, I really enjoyed setting up Pinterest boards! I am glad to have the resources collected and plan to continue searching for my future classroom activities. I think Pinterest is a great asset for any serious educator!

Khan/Koller Review

     Sal Khan created Khan Academy, an educational organization which offers online lectures for anyone. I have actually used Khan Academy myself to supplement my learning in higher education math and science courses. It's incredibly useful, easy to use, and best of all, free. The videos are short but clear, and they include examples in each one. I would love to use Khan Academy in my future classroom as well. I may just suggest the website to my students for personal use, or I may include it in my curriculum. It would be extremely beneficial for a high school math class if students could watch videos of the material at home on their own time, reviewing it as much as necessary, as this would free up class time to work on example problems together. Being available to help students during the problem solving process is critical if teachers are to correct misconceptions and answer questions along the way. 

     Sal Khan also believes that future generations will rely more on "credentialing" from online courses rather than traditional university degrees. This would be beneficial in that it allows for very specialized instruction, and it would be more accessible for students who do not have the financial means for higher education or those students who don't want to relocate. It also allows incredible flexibility with scheduling since online coursework can be done anytime when a student has access to a computer and the internet. 

     Daphne Koller created Coursera, another online program that offers lectures and courses to students anywhere. Koller's website uses videos recorded by professors from top universities, and offers a large variety of subject areas. I used Coursera in the past to review Calculus from an Ohio State professor, and it was very easy to navigate and helpful for covering content I haven't studied for several years. I think I would also enjoy taking a course on social media marketing, as this is sure to be a necessary skill for future generations. For now, courses are not eligible for transfer credit at Columbus State or Ohio State, but they still offer a great opportunity to supplement university coursework. As far as level of difficulty, Coursera courses seem to offer the same challenge that a normal course would. They do carry the name of top universities in the country, but I still believe the curriculum is the same. These so called MOOCs, massive open online courses, may be the wave of the future since they can reach large numbers of students from anywhere in the world in a very efficient manner. This is incredibly cost effective for the student, and can also allow for greater flexibility for students who have to work a job along with college courses. I hope to see this greater scheduling flexibility and increased access to a variety of courses and universities be accepted as commonplace in the years to come. 

Exploring Standards-Based Lesson Plans

     For this week's assignment, I explored several mathematics lesson plans based on Ohio state standards. In the future, I hope to be licensed to teach students in grades 7-12. One class I may teach in this age range is Algebra, and I found an interesting lesson plan for Algebra students. This particular lesson plan will probably work best for students in grades 7 or 8.

Assistive Technology for Students with Emotional Disturbances

     Students with disabilities are capable of great accomplishment in the classroom, but they sometimes require extra planning and strategies to ensure they reach their potential. In these cases, assistive technology can help to supplement classroom instruction and promote learning. One group of students that can benefit greatly from assistive technology are students with emotional disturbances. Under IDEA, our nation's federal legislation regarding education of students with disabilities, an emotional disturbance is defined as "a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance:
   A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors.
   B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
   C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
   D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
   E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems." (parentcenterhub.org) One common struggle for students with emotional disturbances is a short attention span, and an inability to concentrate on certain tasks for long periods of time. Another struggle is causing disruptions in the classroom, often as a reaction to intense feelings of anger, frustration or depression. Students with emotional disturbances may even start fights. These behavior issues interrupt their own instruction and that of their peers. Struggles with social interactions lead to rejection by their peers, which can further contribute to lack of interest in school activities. Along with these struggles, and largely resulting from these issues, students in this disability category are among the lowest achieving and frequently perform below their grade level.

      There are several types of assistive technology that can improve learning and combat these struggles for students with emotional disturbances. For example, since reading requires a lot of concentration and can lead to a frustrating experience for a child with an emotional disturbance, a text to speech device can help a great deal. Students are able to hear the text read aloud while following along on a computer screen. Text to speech computer software can read from a file or from a webpage. Tablets use text to speech technology as well, and can read digital books aloud. Tablets also provide the opportunity to change the voice of the reading, or the font size or color of the text on the screen. Click here to see a variety of text-to-speech options available for students. 

         In a similar manner, talking word processors can help students avoid extra challenges in writing. As the student speaks, the processor records the information in text format. When the student has written their thoughts, the processor can read the information back to them. By simplifying the process, students with emotional disturbances can work with less stress and are less likely to get upset and act out in the classroom. If they had negative experiences in the past with reading and writing, it may also help to negate fears or expectations associated with those experiences. This article provides more information about talking word processors.

   
             With continuous technological advances, the future of assistive technology is sure to be productive and helpful for teachers and students alike. Based on current technology use in the classroom, it seems that the most helpful devices are those which help prevent possible triggers in a student's behavior by helping to simplify classroom tasks. It is not usually helpful to draw more attention to the student, so those which are relatively quiet or personalized offer the best hope for success. Also, if technology is incorporated into a student's learning experience early, it may help create some stability for them to know that their devices can ease a lot of fears they have. I expect teachers and parents to continue to rely on and promote assistive technology for students with emotional disturbances for the foreseeable future.

References:
http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/emotionaldisturbance/
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ967467.pdf
http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/software-assistive-technology/text-to-speech-readers
http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-Assistive-Technology/Pages/WS-Talking-Word-Processing-Software.aspx

DL School Choices

For a class assignment, I took on the pretend-role of a parent hoping to enroll my child in a distance learning school. I researched five different Ohio options and listed my observations and thoughts below. Each respective website was also evaluated in terms of the clarity and understandability of information, the look and feel of the DL environment, and the presence of a FAQ page. I also included a general rating of "Would/Would Not Recommend" for each school.

School # 1: Ohio Connections Academy
Website: www.connectionsacademy.com/ohio-eschool
On the homepage, I was greeted with an invitation to chat about any questions as soon as the page loaded. There was also a banner with student and teacher testimonials, a short blurb about OCA, and an introductory video. The video was very high quality and included information about the school and personal stories from both students and teachers. There were also highlights from field trips and clips of teachers interacting with students through live lessons and phone communication. Overall, the website is very easy to navigate and seems to include all the information any parent could want or need. The website is professional and promotes the distance learning option as a viable choice for all types of families. OCA also prides themselves on designing their school around what works best for DL environments, as discovered through research. Their Family Support Program caught my attention - this added bonus includes orientations for parents and students, a program that connects experienced parent "coaches" with parents who are new to the school, and opportunities to connect local families through events and online communication.

Verdict: After exploring the website, I feel convinced that my child would have an excellent educational experience with OCA. They value academic instruction and encourage interaction between students, parents, and teachers, and they also promote social involvement between families. 5/5 Would Highly Recommend

School # 2: Virtual SchoolHouse
Website: http://virtualschoolhouse.org/
Exploring this DL option was not the greatest experience. On a practical note, the website itself is not very engaging. While the ads on the home page include colorful pictures that change back and forth, the rest of the page is a disappointment at best. Two of the first sections I found while scrolling down on the homepage are the School Calendar, which has not been updated since the last day of the 2015-2016 school year, and the Announcements section, which was completely empty! There is also a video at the bottom of the page that probably explains more about the school, but the sound doesn't seem to work properly. I could not find a FAQ page while clicking on tabs across the top of the page. My initial impression after visiting this website is that VSH is a school best used as a last resort - They advertise their credit recovery program and encourage site visitors to refer a friend known to be struggling. Overall, the website seems poorly attended,

Verdict: This website seems poorly attended, and didn't leave me wanting to entrust VSH with my child's education.  There are some potential highlights mentioned, such as art inititiaves and prom and graduation for high school students, but these alone are not enough to encourage attendance.
1/5 Would Not Recommend

School # 3: ECOT Online School
Website: https://www.ecotohio.org/
One of the first sections I found on ECOT's homepage was very practical, titled "Why ECOT?" The video posted below did a good job of explaining the school's offerings and included descriptions of various "paths" - Students can choose between a full day of live online sessions with teachers, or mix it up with some live sessions and some more flexible options. Field trips, social interaction and events with other ECOT families ensure a well-rounded educational experience, and high school students have their own social network to encourage further connection with peers. Teachers also schedule face to face meetings with parents and students. The website is user friendly and includes an updated school calendar, descriptions of roles parents can take on as members of the Parent Advisory Committee, and a section called "Who Benefits" with several relatable categories for prospective students considering DL options. You can also access FAQs by clicking on the info tab, but it did take me a few minutes to find them.

Verdict: The information and accompanying videos displayed on the website present a viable option for students interested in DL. ECOT supplies computers that don't allow surfing to unathorized sites, so this could help a lot with ensuring that students stay on track with their cirriculum. The program also includes plenty of opportunities for students and parents to engage socially with other families 5/5 Would Highly Recommend

School # 4: Ohio Virtual Academy
Website: http://ohva.k12.com/
OVA's website is somewhat plain but easy to navigate, and supplies ample information for families considering DL options. Prospective families can request information, attend a face to face or online discussion event, or call with questions. There is a video which provides a good overview of the school. (It comes off a little boring but still succeeds at presenting needed information.) After exploring a bit, I am impressed with all that OVA has to offer. They encourage parental involvement in student education, and teachers stay in contact with students and parents through phone communication and online. The OVA experience offers an Individualized Learning Plan for every student in attendance, and various course offerings include AP classes, multiple world languages, career builder electives and content for advanced learners. They also have a college credit program for qualified high school students. I couldn't find a FAQ page per se, but I felt that any questions I had about the school were answered from the provided information.

Verdict: I like the diverse course offerings, extracirricular activities, and other opportunities for social interaction that are provided through various clubs and student council. It also seems like teachers work hard to stay engaged with students and their families, and two-way communication is highly encouraged.  I would definitely feel comfortable sending my child to Ohio Virtual Academy.
5/5 Would Highly Recommend

School #5: Virtual Community School of Ohio
Website: http://www.vcslearn.org/
The website for VCS is engaging and user friendly, but there are some questions that I have after exploring the information provided. On a positive note, the school uses an interactive digital platform and holds one on one sessions with teachers. They also provide life skills coaching which looks extremely useful, including sections for single parenting, character development for K-3, conflict resolution, test anxiety, bullying, and more. Students can participate in clubs, and students that excel can be  recognized with awards and merit roll/honor roll. There is a helpful FAQs page that is separated into grade level, and it also includes a section for special education. One question I had was about the curriculum - the website states that grades 6-12 use Florida Curriculum??? There was also a video meant to promote the school, but most of the student stories were not relatable, at least for me. For example, I would never encourage my child to pursue athletics to the degree that it caused a need for a less structured school environment.

Verdict: Overall, I'm unimpressed with the offerings of VCS, especially when compared to some of the other options available in Ohio. I did really like the life skills coaching, but I don't think I would trust my child's overall educational experience with this setting.
2/5 Would Not Recommend  


I hope this information has been a helpful starting point for any parents who are considering the DL options! Of course, before enrolling a child in any of these schools, I would recommend contacting the school to set up a face to face meeting in order to ensure they could adequately meet your child's educational needs.

My Prezi

                                                                                                                                     

I want to teach high school math someday. In order to introduce myself to potential employers and future students, I created a Prezi with details about myself and my goals as an educator. I also included a couple of links that are helpful for fellow teachers to reference. 

This was my first time using the Prezi software, and I had some difficulty using it. I found it challenging to make the text fit in certain slides, or to organize pictures near text. I did enjoy how easy it was to switch the order of slides or add new items to the path. I definitely would prefer to use PowerPoint in the future since I am more familiar with it and can do a lot more with it. I'm still glad I tried something new though, and maybe I will get used to Prezi in the future!

Three Great Teacher Blogs

In this post, I want to share three teacher blogs that I find enjoyable and helpful:

1) MISS CALCUL8
http://misscalculate.blogspot.com/

"Miss Calcul8" is a blog created by a seventh yer math teacher. Her page dates back to 2009, and is full of posts that incorporate teaching ideas with her own personal experiences. The author includes sections for Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Algebra III. She also has a section with helpful links. Her page is colorful and fun, and the patterns are only slightly distracting. Check out her suggestions for new approaches to familiar math problems. I plan to visit this page a lot in the coming years!

2) GO FIGURE!
http://gofigurewithscipi.blogspot.com/

"Go Figure!" is a blog created with the purpose of curing so-called mathphobics. The author's belief is that anyone can learn math if they have the right instruction. She incorporates hands-on activities in her classroom and encourages other educators to do the same. Her blog has a wealth of posts, resources, and links to math games, and is sure to be a helpful resource for anyone hoping to teach math. I enjoy the colors and the organization of her page and I'm sure I'll be referencing it often!

3) LEARNING IS MESSY
http://www.learningismessy.com/

"Learning is Messy" is maintained by a former educator who now facilitates STEM education for both teachers and administrators. His page includes frequent relevant posts about STEM classes, and most of these include multiple video clips! He also has sections for student work and student-created videos, something that I would love to imitate in the future when I have my own classroom. His broad range of experience as an educator and as a public speaker gives depth to the content provided on this site. He strongly encourages the use of technology in the classroom, which is increasingly important in our tech-savvy younger generations. I appreciate his passion for STEM and I'm inspired to utilize this blog - the author himself cites blogging as one of his greatest classroom resources and is glad to be able to share that with others!

Welcome to My Blog

Hello everyone! My name is Sarah Ferris, and I'm an aspiring math educator. At 25 years young, I'm working for the Wexner Medical Center while continuing my education at Ohio State. Currently, I'm working on prerequisite coursework for the M.Ed program and I plan to apply sometime next fall! Outside of work and school, I'm an active member in a campus bible study. I also serve as a mentor for young adults, and I've had the privilege of volunteering in several middle school groups in our community. In my free time, I enjoy grabbing coffee with my friends, reading a good book, or going for the occasional run when time (and weather!) permits. 

I'm really excited about a career in education. In addition to providing students with the knowledge and skills they will need for future coursework and careers, teachers also have an incredible opportunity to serve as positive role models during the influential formative years of students' lives. Looking back on my own experiences, I can point to several examples of teachers whose involvement in my life (and the lives of my peers) made a difference for years to come. These teachers were passionate about their content and effective at creating engaging lesson plans, but they were also available to guide us and inspire us in many aspects at a time when we needed it the most. 

Like these examples, I hope to be committed to my students' success inside and outside of the classroom. In the classroom, I want to instill a passion for learning and create an environment where students are adequately instructed and challenged. Outside of academic success, I also hope to inspire my students to keep growing as people and reach their full potential. In a world full of trials and difficulties, I will offer encouragement, support, and advice when needed. My goal is to cast a vision for them beyond their high school experience; a vision that promotes finding their purpose in this life and making a difference in the world around them. My hope for future students is that they all mature into adults known for their strong friendships, strong families, and trustworthy character. 

My dream job would be to teach high school math at an inner city school. I have a special place in my heart for students who face the added difficulties of broken families and broken homes, as these circumstances threaten to affect their performance in the classroom. Of course, I will be content wherever I end up and will cherish every moment investing in our future generations!

I've added a few photos below. Enjoy!