What is your “WHY” for teaching? My “WHY” comes from a student who had a rough time at home and always felt like a failure. A simple lesson about character traits revealed the negative self talk she often experienced. I chose to support her, nurture her, cheer for her, and hold her accountable rather than punish her for every mistake. She became one of my most successful students and will always be a reminder that building relationships and a student’s self confidence is the most powerful way to impact lives.
Area of Expertise: My area of expertise is Elementary Education. I graduated from USI in Evansville, IN in 2012. I taught third grade at Southport Elementary School for 5 years and sixth grade for 2 years prior. I am now on a new journey getting ready to teach eighth grade language arts in Illinois.
What is your PBL experience? In 2018 I was trained in PBL with Magnify Learning, and that school year I became part of a core PBL team in my building. My coworker and I rolled out 4 strong PBL units that year and 4 more units the following year with the rest of our team. My love for PBL grew as I saw my students becoming independent thinkers and learners while also using their knowledge to help people in our community. I became PBL certified and now get to spend my summer days spreading the PBL love!
What is your favorite aspect of PBL? My favorite aspect of PBL is the empathy my students learn from helping the community. We tackle tough issues, talk about tough topics, and solve tough problems. But, we learn to love others as we love ourselves and realize that joy comes most from what we give not what we get.
Why do you enjoy facilitating? I enjoy facilitating because I have the opportunity to share success stories with people who understand the struggles that teachers face each day. I enjoy sharing real success about real students with people who are passionate about teaching.