Motivation Monday
I don’t know about you, but something that motivates ME to be a better teacher is by listening to and learning from other educators who are doing incredible things in their classrooms. Every-other Monday I plan to highlight a different teacher to showcase some of the amazing ways they are being intentional about building positive relationships, cultivating kindness, and providing engaging and equitable instruction for their students. Each teacher will select a few “interview questions” to answer, which I will then share with all of you! (Click on their name below to learn more about them.) I hope they inspire you as much as they inspire me.
Angela
Angela teaches in Norristown Area School Disrict in Pennsylvania as an English Language Development teacher for first, third, and fourth graders. Her students are primarily Spanish speakers, but she has worked with students who speak Mandarin, Italian, Arabic, and more! Angela is certified to teach K-12 TESOL and K-12 Spanish and has been teaching at her current school for 7 years. She’s also a certified Spanish/English interpreter.
Terri
Terri is in her 26th year of teaching in Harrisonburg City Public Schools in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Throughout her teaching career, Terri has taught at two different schools and has experience teaching Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and ESL. She is currently teaching ESL at Smithland Elementary, where about 50% of the students are English Language Learners. She has an endorsement in Teaching English as a Second Language and recently earned her Masters of Education in Reading in May of this year!
Jenna
Jenna teaches in William Penn School District, PA as a high school Health and Physical Education teacher. Her students come from low income/urban settings and 99% of her student population is black. Jenna is certified to teach K-12 health and P.E. and earned a masters degree in Health Education. She also has yoga in the classroom and mindfulness educator certifications. She has been teaching for 12 years.
Owen
Owen teaches Social Studies at Spotswood High School in Rockingham County, VA, which is a rural county surrounding a quickly growing mid-sized city. Owen has taught VA/US History for honors students as well as World History II, World Geography, and Economics/Personal Finance. Owen is currently in his 8th year of teaching, and throughout his teaching career, he has completed his M. Ed in Instructional Technology and completed work to become Nationally Board Certified.