Court1031

Hi Everyone! My name is Courtney Hardee and I am a junior at ODU. My major is Interdisciplinary Studies/ PreK-6. I plan on teaching 4th grade. I am a substitute teacher, only occasionally because school takes up most of my time. Children are my passion in life and I could not see myself doing anything else besides teaching as my career. I have a huge family and they are my support system. In my spare time, you can usually find me with my family and friends and my Yorkie, Rocky. I could live at the beach during the summer, it is my favorite place to be. I have had a recent loss in my family and I have learned that you have to live everyday to the fullest and without regrets!

I cannot wait to start my teaching career. I still have so much to learn but so far I have an idea of how I would like to see each year end. I want my students to know how much I care. I want them to walk into my classroom and feel welcomed and ready to learn. One of the hardest things in teaching I feel is keeping the students focused on the task at hand. Incorporating new ideas and technology into the classroom would help tremendously I feel. Students may not remember every single thing they learn in a certain grade, but I want to make sure they get something out of it and feel like they have improved over the year. Lecturing in a class can be overwhelming for students and also their attention span does not seem to last for over an hour, so I would love to have new ideas to grab their attention but still focus on the topic we are discussing. I feel students should have a say and opinion in some projects or discussion topics and even test material that should be handed out, because it is not all about the grade you receive, but how much you have learned throughout the years. Working with students needs can be one of the best ways to make sure a student stays on track with their learning capabilities.