iPhoto retrieved 2013 from, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Fern_Ridge_Lake_Oregon.jpg
FOUNDATION
Central Elementary School and Veneta Elementary School
All three of my children attended Central Elementary, as I had. My teaching career began in this district in 1990 and in other nearby districts until 1999. Then I returned to teach in the Fern Ridge School District in a Third Grade Job-share at Veneta Elementary. A full-time position opened the next year in a Second Grade at Central. The following year I filled the Kindergarten and Instructional Support Teacher position for First through Fifth Grades. After that year the district consolidated the four elementary schools into two remaining schools due to the budget crisis. Central Elementary was merged with Veneta Elementary and Noti Elementary with Elmira Elementary the following year. The next position filled was a Second and Third Grade Blended Class. The past eight years I have been teaching third grade.
As a proud member of the Fern Ridge Community in Oregon's Willamette Valley; my treasured family life and educational experiences (both as an educator and an Elmira Graduate) have established close community ties . In my desire to be the best educator possible for the students I teach, I rely on all aspects of my life to keep me balanced. After completing my studies at Western Oregon University, my husband and I chose to build our home in the Fern Ridge area and I began teaching in the Fern Ridge School District. Our oldest child just graduated this year and our twins are to graduate next year. All the schools are located in the area south west of Fern Ridge Reservoir as seen on the map below.
Living in a small community should not inhibit the opportunities for our students reach far and beyond. Preparing students with the skills and strategies they need to reach worldwide opportunities is very important to me. I constantly aim to integrate as much technology as possible within the lessons I teach, so that I can enhance learning for my students. The skills and strategies acquired by my students are needed to empower them to be successful in the 21st Century in order to make their dreams come true. Through my leadership and ethical practices I can encourage them to become outstanding citizens.
Educational Foundation
As a highly qualified educator with twenty-three years of experience teaching elementary and middle school students my resume speaks volumes about my vast experiences. I can appreciate the requirements, demands, and excitement of every teacher in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade because I have been assigned each position throughout my career. Utilizing classroom management skills and identifying valuable individual assets of each student have been my greatest strengths. Meeting students at their levels and supporting them in their life's journey is critically important to insure they reach their potential! Being a positive connection to students' academic success is vital in helping them meet or exceed the standards set before them.
Northwest Christian University
NCU is a private liberal arts college located literally across the street from the University of Oregon, 818 East 11th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401. The Masters of Education program I am attending is completely on-line. Although, I live in the Fern Ridge School District but my address is Eugene, Oregon. Attending the orientation for this program is the only time I have been physically on campus. All of my course work, lectures, and research was spent on virtual campus settings, which allowed for the essential needed convenience of my time to complete the course work. The virtual home base of Vcamp, a virtual campus setting, was where I interacted in discussions with instructors and peers. In additions to this, we used various social media settings to connect lessons and research through Moodle, email, and Edmodo. The engagement with my cohorts was more intense than I would have had in a class setting. I feel that our exchanges were great links to our learning experiences.
NCU Masters of Education
The 2012-2013 Summer Cohort is the group I worked with in the Masters of Education Program at NCU. During the fall of 2012 and first half of the spring 2013 the Spring 2012-2013 Cohort were blended with our Summer Cohort. Both groups include much professional diversity. This blend of graduate students have vast expanses of qualifications from nursing and drafting backgrounds educating adult learners to the early childhood through high school educators with varied public and private school teaching experiences. A generous blend of ages brought together digital natives and digital immigrant experiences along with the diverse educator years of experience. Distance in physical locations did not pose an issue, but gave global perspectives and locational influences brought more dynamics to our discussions. Administrative and K-12 roles intertwined throughout our assignments. The formative feedback was valuable.
Ethical Foundation
and Educational Philosophy
Bottom line... my students are my priority. I am honored to be a resource in helping them acquire the skills and strategies that can be build upon for their success in school and life. My philosophy has developed over years of modeling and utilizing proven strategies which has lead to educational ethics that have been fine tuned through experience and ethical studies.
Ethics Philosophy
Throughout my studies at Northwest Christian University I was able to gain insight that allowed me to develop my philosophies regarding life, community, and education. I have been able to research ethical principles throughout history and I can solidly base my opinions with those, validating the reasons that lead me to make ethical decisions in my personal and professional life.
This paper portrays my ethics philosophy and refers to the sources I base them on.
This paper portrays my ethics philosophy and refers to the sources I base them on.