Introduction

Hello fellow TE 818 colleagues!  As the title suggests, this blog is a work in process as I intend to use this as a forum to share my opinions, thoughts, and insights about education from both the perspective of a teacher and student.  This blog was originally set up with the goal of using it as a means of communicating my ideas for graduate courses through Michigan State University.  

Before we begin this journey together, here's a little about me:

I grew up in Canton, MI and attended the University of Michigan - Dearborn, where I majored in mathematics and minored in psychology.  I graduated in December 2012 with my bachelors degree and secondary teaching certificate.

I was hired as a math teacher in Livonia Public Schools (LPS) in February 2013.  Since that time, I have taught at both the middle school and high school levels.  I absolutely LOVE working with young adults on a daily basis - getting to know them on a personal level and watching them grow as they discover who are they as a person and start thinking about who they want to be.  I learn just as much from them as they do from me! I am also very fortunate to be part of such an amazing group of teachers!  I have been in five buildings so far in my tenure in LPS and this experience has allowed me the opportunity to watch and learn from more experienced teachers as I still continue to refine my teaching repertoire as a beginning teacher.

When I'm not in "teacher mode," I enjoy exercising (a good way to take some time for ME!), watching sports (I'm a huge University of Michigan sports fan, particularly Michigan football…GO BLUE!), reading, and scrapbooking.  I must say, I’ve taken advantage of summer vacation to dive right into some good books!

As a student in TE 818:  Curriculum In Its Social Context this semester, I am excited to learn more about the role of curriculum in shaping learning and teaching.  I think of curriculum as providing a framework outlining knowledge and skills that students are expected to learn.  Lesson standards and learning objectives provide a blueprint in which a teacher employs their content and pedagogical knowledge to develop appropriate learning experiences that will best meet the needs of their students.  Curriculum can be explicit – written guidelines, documents, resources, and materials that are geared toward students mastering specified learning objectives.  It can also be social – providing students opportunities to model and learn from people in their educational environment.  While the explicit curriculum is most often associated with educational curriculum, the social curriculum should not be devalued as there are a lot of social and societal norms that students acquire via social interactions with teachers and peers in the school setting.

Looking forward to working with you and learning from you this semester!  Best of luck this semester and hope you are enjoying your summer! :)