Master Teaching
About
For your elementary aged child, finding someone who knows exactly what they are doing can be difficult. I graduated from SUU with my Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education in 2009. I have taught in the classroom for ten years and am looking to expand my horizons outside of the classroom. My primary focus over the past ten years has been in third grade, though I have taught fifth as well. The unique thing about third grade is that in a third grade classroom sometimes I see the biggest ranges of all the grades in my room. I have helped students who are academically at a preschool level to students who could slide right into a high school class and the only signal that they didn't belong would be their height.
I graduated in December 2018 with my Master's of Curriculum and Instruction from Weber State University. My thesis work was on student motivation: how to create a motivated student even within the confines of the restrictive rules of a classroom. My thesis advisor was an expert in educational psychology, and the many hours spent in her office led me to understand that field extremely well, though I don't have a degree associated.
In addition to being a level 2 licensed educator (grades 1-8) I hold a Level 1 reading endorsement, and as soon as the paperwork clears will also hold an ESL and Gifted endorsement, and I have an educational technology endorsement in progress.
I have been successful enough in my career to mentor new teachers as they begin their career, and I have trained student teachers. My classroom evaluations have consistently given me evaluations at 3.5 out of 4 or higher for several years now. A 4 is nearly impossible to get and most administrators won't give 4s even if they think the teacher deserves it because of district politics, so a 3.5 is as close to a perfect score as can be obtained.
I also am very good at relationship building. Students won't work for someone they don't like. I am almost too good at building relationships, to the point that when I am trying to eat a peaceful lunch at school my room is invaded by current and former students wanting to say hi.
Many people say their favorite part of teaching is when the light bulb goes on and the student 'gets it.' This is a thrill, and it is exciting, but it is not my favorite part. My favorite part is when I have struck such a chord with a child that what we learn in the classroom is not enough for them. My favorite part is when I successfully create curiosity about a new topic in a student and then the student goes and learns things for themselves. Sometimes they learn so much they come back and teach me things that I didn't know. This is the best part of teaching for me: when curiosity begins and teaching ends.
Highlights
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Assessment is as the base of everything education does. If a teacher doesn't know what a student knows and doesn't know then the teacher can in no way be successful in teaching. I like to boil down to really understand exactly what the student knows and what the student doesn't, so there is no mystery. From there lessons can be developed to meet those individual needs, to fill deficits or stretch the student academically in appropriate ways.
The initial assessment is always free. I meet with a student and give several assessments to really start to understand what the student individual needs. From there I interview the student and parents to find out specifically what the parental concerns are and balance those against what I discovered during the assessments. Goals will then be written for the student to achieve, and those goals can be met, or changed as learning takes place.
For the first little while I like to spend a few minutes just chatting with the student so a relationship can be developed between teacher and student.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a lot of training. I hold a bachelor's in education from Southern Utah University, a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Weber State University, a level 2 Utah license, a level one reading endorsement. As soon as paperwork clears I will have my ESL and Gifted endorsements, as I just finished those programs. I also am currently working on my educational technology endorsement. I started my math endorsement once. I got halfway through the program when I had to drop it for my master's program. Someday I hope to finish that endorsement course. I wrote my master's thesis on student motivation, specifically reading motivation, and can provide a copy of the document upon request.
I have taught for ten years in the classroom. I have trained new teachers and student teachers as well. I sit on my school's MTSS committee. The job of the MTSS committee is to be there for teachers struggling to meet the needs of a student. We analyze the student deficits and advise the teacher on the next steps he or she should take to assist the student in question.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
This depends on the situation. My district values my services at $47 per hour. This is calculated based upon years of service and education. For private lessons with a single student in the elementary age (K-6) a standard fee would be $25 per hour for one student, with approximately $10 more per hour for each subsequent student in the same session. For students younger or older the fee would be higher but subject to negotiation due to my need to research effective strategies for older or younger students as I have little experience outside the K-6 range.
How did you get started teaching?
Teaching is a calling, not a job. I came into the world knowing that teaching was in my future. I don't have a moment when I went, "Teaching, I should be a teacher." No, rather, this has been something I have known I would spend my life doing for as long as I can remember. I wanted to be a teacher before I even started kindergarten myself.
I attended Southenr Utah University and never changed my major. I student taught in Las Vegas and it's been history ever since.
What types of students have you worked with?
Diversity is my middle name. My assigned school is one of the most diverse schools in Salt Lake Valley. I have taught students from every continent, and all 30+ ethnic groups that are representated at my school. My students are primarily of a low-socioeconomic background but not all. Some are quite well off, financially.
My area of focus has been with third graders. I spent a few years in fifth before finding my niche in third, however I have spent limited time in every grade K-6, and by the very nature of the way professional developments work I am very familiar with the things taught everywhere in K-6.