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About Me
editMy name is Mary and I was born and lived most of the first half of my life in the great state of Texas. As an Army brat, I also spent a few years in Heidelberg, Germany and Washington D.C., but these brief excursions occurred in the first few years of my life so I remember little about these moments. I will always consider myself a Texan.
I am a mother of three wonderful sons and married to my soul mate. Throughout the many years of my adulthood, my husband's Naval career has given us the wonderful opportunity to experience life outside of our known culture, and to see not only the world, but broaden our thoughts and perspectives. We spent several years living in both London and the surrounding area of Tokyo, learning and experiencing alternative Western and Far Eastern views.
Academics
editI have spent many years in pursuit of an education and have changed majors several times. The chaos of both moving and raising young children has at times required reassessment or temporary delays along the way, but I am finally on the home stretch.
I began my college education many, many years ago at the University of Texas at Austin. I have also attended the University of Maryland overseas divisions, City of Chicago Colleges, Tidewater Community College, and am currently attending Old Dominion University.
I am a transfer student with an Associate in Interdisciplinary Studies and hope to complete my Bachelors at the end of the summer 2008 semester. My plans are to continue on a Masters program with a concentration in PreK-3rd grade.
Personal Philosophy
editI see myself as a part of a much greater whole. I am more than a Texan, a Virginian, an American; I am a person of the world and hope to broaden my horizons and always experience life. I want to have my bags packed and ready to go to places I have only previously seen in books and do things that I haven’t done before. I want to live life to the fullest. My home is a place to keep my things, its memories, experiences, and loved ones that are life.
Teaching Philosophy
editI hope to implement as much technology into my classroom as I am capable with the resources provided to me. I believe the best way to engage the student in learning is to use the forums that are most relevant and enticing to the student, and that would mean enlisting the technology around us; podcasts, Internet, and a myriad of software to name only a few. I believe that it is not enough to stay within a comfort zone. As a teacher, I am as much of a student in the world as the students around me. I see every day as an opportunity to learn, and every experience as a chance to grow.
I believe that it is important to be open-minded as both a teacher and a person. I hope to instill in students the ability to see other ideas, opinions, and ways to approach and look at the world around them. I hope to expand my receptiveness by looking for the potential in every child, even though they may have had a less than stellar previous experience in school. I believe the student’s first day in class is a new day and an opportunity for a new beginning.
I will look for the potential in every child. I cannot foresee or determine when I, my school, the child’s developmental age, or maybe just the fish tank in the back of the classroom will be the spark that ignites a burst of learning and growth in a student. If I fail to seek the potential in myself or in a student, then it is time to walk away from teaching. I may not always succeed or see the results immediately, but I believe teaching and learning is not about being perfect or instantaneous results, it is about growing and helping others to grow and develop.