About

Anchor ProfileTeaching Experience: I will start my 10th year of teaching in the fall of 2020. My teaching experience is as follows: 7th Grade English (3 years), 9th Grade On-Level English (2 years), 10th Grade On-Level & Honors English (5 years), Physical Education (1 year), and 12th Grade On-Level & Honors English (3 years). All in all, I have a lot more to learn and each year is a great learning experience…

My Teaching Style: my teaching philosophy is simple, every child can be taught, and it is up to the educator to find proper motivation for learning through various strategies, methods, and/or approaches. It is also up to the student to put forth an effort to gain the best results in the process.

Educational History: I earned my B.A. in English with a minor in Philosophy at the University of Louisville in 2003. I also earned my teacher certification in the state of Arizona via the Pima Community College Post-Degree Teacher Certification Program in 2011. I’m currently working on my MEd in Educational Administration via Grand Canyon University with an expected graduation date in the Spring of 2021. 

49 thoughts on “About”

  1. very nice blog indeed.If i made a blog it would not look like this very nice blog.Lol, i dont now how to make a blog. =)

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  2. Thank you for visiting my blog! As you have probably figured out, I am a student teacher at a middle school, so it’s nice to feel the support of teachers who have more experience than I do. I love math and teaching how universal it is, so I hope by reading some of your posts I may get ideas of how to integrate other subjects into my lessons. Thanks again!

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    • Good things. I wish you luck with everything. I think integrated units can be very fun. I think math is one of those subjects that needs to be made universal, and kids need to be shown the real world importance. I have one integrated unit in LA/Writing. It comes towards the end of the year in the 4th unit. Feel free to take any ideas. I would like to infuse some math in that unit eventually. If you come up with something good, send it this way.

      http://lablog101.wordpress.com/curriculum-maps/

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  3. What a great blog you have up and running and it has lots of great resources. I also have a teaching blog, and though I am an elementary teacher, it looks like you have a great understanding of the curriculum and how to instruct your students to get them excited. Looking forward to reading more!

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  4. Vey nice blog. Super informative! As a parent of a high school student, I wish my 10th grader’s teacher had a classroom blog like this. Keep up the good work.

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    • Thanks for stopping by. The kids are great, so they make it easy to infuse a little humor everyday. Never a dull moment 😉

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  6. I came here because of the post about bullying. I took a look around and wow this is too good to be true. Looks like there is a lot of effort here. Keep up the good work Language Arts Teacher

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  7. Thanks for liking my “Protecting Journalists” post.
    Would you be interested in reviewing a copy of my book, On the Trail of the Ancestors: A Black Cowboy’s Ride Across America.? I taught it to middle schoolers. The study guide and more info is on my website- http://www.lisakwinkler.com
    Happy to send you a book, send me an email.

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  12. Thanks for liking my post about teaching! I’m glad I came across your blog, I’m sure I can learn a lot from your writing.

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  14. This is such a fabulous concept! I might have to do something like this if I end up teaching, hoping to make the move into the classroom soon. Also, props to you for teaching 7th grade- it can be such a rough year… I’m looking to teach elementary myself, preferable 3rd or 4th.

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    • Thank you for stopping by. This blog has been a good tool to keep parents and students in the loop. 7th Grade is a tough group, but these kids are great. Some growing pains, but overall good things… Best of luck with your teaching journey.

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  15. It feels great to be visited by a teacher, too. Thanks so much. Your site will surely be another fave of mine. It has a amazing concept. Stay inspired! Stay happy!

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  17. ELA Teacher,
    Please take a look at my two educational resources:
    aimtjp.wikispaces.com
    catapultintopoetry.wikispaces.com
    You will love the lessons, PowerPoints, and educational links.

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  20. Thank you for reading my blog! Thank you for choosing the path you are on! I love teachers who are truly engaged in their students’ learning. I have had a few teachers that have changed my life, just because they were engaged in helping me become a better person, not stuffing information into me. You will continue to change so many lives! I will continue to visit your blog to learn more :).

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    • Thank you for taking the time to stop by. I appreciate the kind words. I love to have fun with the students as well as learn during the entire process – it definitely makes the day go by faster when we’re having fun;)

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  21. LOVE THIS!! I saw you stopped by to like one of my posts and your blog name absolutely caught my attention. I’m a substitute teacher in Cali and I did a three-and-a-half month long-term assignment last semester at a local school and fell in love with the kids, the same kids you saw in my post – well, some of them anyway. I haven’t gone for my credentials yet but plan to next year. That being said, I cannot wait to look more into your blog and what you have to offer LA teachers. I want to teach high school LA, but I’m sure your plans and ideas could help me out too! Thank you so much for stopping by! I’ll be back to look at your stuff 🙂

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    • Good things! Glad you stopped by. Good luck with getting your credentials. You looking to teach at a charter or in a district? I’m in Arizona which I think is 2nd to your state in regards to the amount of charters on the books.

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      • I’m definitely looking to work in a district, preferrably in a city. The school I did the long-term assignment for is an at-risk school, but they’re the most amazing, respectful, and hard-working kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and they truly appreciate getting an education, something I haven’t found in any of the other local high schools, especially the non-at-risk schools.

        Do you work for a charter or district? And what is the one thing you’ve found the most rewarding working with kids? 🙂 I have to pick your brain just a little bit.

      • I work at a charter, and I have for about 3 years. I wouldn’t count charters out, but it does depend on the charter school because not all are created as well as run equally. It might be easier to get your foot in the door at a charter as well. Good luck with things either way.

        The most rewarding thing is never having a dull day. I enjoy laughing, teaching, and having a good time in the classroom. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. The kids are also very rewarding. When you see them grasp things that they will use later in life, it’s all worth it…

      • Thanks for replying so fast! Once I do get my creds, whenever that will be, I’ll be applying all over the state, so I probably won’t count charters out. And, like you said, it does depend on the charter school, just as it depends on the district school. I’m sure many at-risk schools are very challenging to work in because of the fact they’re at-risk, so if anything, no matter where I work, it will be by trial. Hopefully I’ll love working wherever I get hired, but I know it does sometimes depend on how the school itself is run. I was lucky to land the long-term assignment in that school because it is run very well, at least in my opinion, and the teachers there are actually considered the best in the city. The reason it’s an at-risk school is because they haven’t done well in their testing, and though I haven’t heard why officially, I believe it’s because many of the students are English learners (90% of the school is Hispanic). Of course this isn’t their fault at all, and it’s actually very sad the school is labeled at-risk for that reason when the kids and staff are so incredible. I guess we’ll see where I land when I do become a teacher, but I will absolutely be applying to this school.

        I think that’s great you love teaching so much. It’s taken a very, very long time and a bachelor’s in business to realize teaching is what I love most. I tried business and hated it, but the work I did entailed me training customer service agents how to use their English skills better, and so I tried tutoring. Then I tried subbing. And now? Now it’s all I think about. It’s all I dream about. The thought of the kids I worked with instantly warms my heart, and seeing them is even more powerful. Every hug, every smile, every laugh from one of them keeps me inspired to become a teacher. And I think seeing them grasp something they’ll later use in life is also an incredible thing. Though I tried extremely hard to make sure the lesson plans were interesting and they were grasping the material, I’m positive more experience in actual teaching would have helped me. I remember, though, how excited and passionate I was teaching them poetry and short stories and what not and this in turn got them interested, which made all the difference!

        I’ve written you a novel, so I should probably cut it here, but I’m so happy to meet someone who loves teaching as much as I do.

  25. Woah, we got a friend from the States 🙂

    greetings from Australia!

    It’s great seeing teachers who are passionate about educating and building relationships with their students from around the world 🙂

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    • Greetings,

      I was in your neck of the woods about a year ago when I visited Fiji. Thank you for stopping by as well as the kind words, my friend…

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  26. Your blog is fantastic. I can only imagine how organized your classroom must be considering how well thought out each aspect of the blog and assignments are. I’m especially glad to see that you’re in Arizona. Our state needs top quality educators!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog and providing so much inspiration, not only to me, but to other educators and especially to your students.

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    • Thank you for stopping by! I’m glad you found the blog useful. I try to put in as much work teaching as I expect the students to put in learning.

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  27. I see that you’ve stopped by my blog a couple of times. Hope it was helpful. It is -30 degrees here in Red Deer, Alberta today so I may have time to do some blog reading soon. (Being retired normally means I have even less time than when I was teaching.) I am looking forward to exploring your site. All the best!

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  30. This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! As a writer I am thinking “woo-hoo!” But I also have taught, and I am now about to being subbing, so this is an extra “whoo-hoo!” for me!! Awesome blog, glad I am following. And thanks for checking out my post! I hope it can be shared as much as possible, I’d love to see these kids go to Philly & get inspired!!
    -T.O.

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  31. Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you didn’t get too contaminated by silly. I love the way your blog is so hard-working and promoting thinking skills in middle schoolers.

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