Blogs in Education

• A blog focusing on the benefits of blogs in education. The author discusses the uses for blogs with regards to classroom management, collaboration, discussions, and student portfolios: http://thanhnguyen75.blogspot.com/2006/11/use-of-blogs-in-education_14.html 
• A blog focusing on the benefits and limitations of using a blog as a classroom tool: http://lovealibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/05/full-paper-blogs-as-teaching-tools.html
• A blog that provides a definition and background to what blogs are and why blogging could benefit both teachers and students in the classroom: http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2009/04/blogs-in-education.html 

Initially what interested me in pursuing this field of work was seeing how much work and energy my mom put into the classes that she taught. When I was a child my mom would work part-time as a substitute teacher to help support our family. She had graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor's Degree and moved on to complete a Master's Degree at Western Oregon University. She specialized in teaching students who were dear or had hearing impairments. When I was 9 years old she took a full-time job as a Special Education teacher. Seeing how much she put into her job inspired me. I wanted a job that would drive me to put that much time and energy into what I was doing. I would help in her classroom all through middle and high school and I eventually got a job as a substitute paraprofessional. It was the best job I had ever had! I loved the diversity of it, I loved being able to help students learn. I loved being a part of their education, even though I realize that I only played a small part in it. I decided on my major during my last semester of high school and I have stuck with it ever since. I consider that to be a miracle having gone 5 1/2 years without changing my major! This field is harder than I thought it would be, but it is extremely rewarding. There is so much work required behind the scenes in order to make everything flow together and in order to provide a consistent learning environment for the students. I am especially interested in the psychology of adolescents and I know that understanding the psychology behind their actions and behavior will help me understand the individual students and I will be able to help them to the best of my ability by using this background knowledge. 


My Teaching Philosophy
All students have the right to learn. Each and every student has the capacity to learn, but the instructor must unlock the strategy that suits that student best and utilize activities that will help students learn. I want my students to be able to learn how to think for themselves. I want them to be able to formulate their own opinions on issues that surround them. I want them to be aware of how their world is changing and what they can do to make a positive difference in this world. 

Future Plans
I plan on finishing my student teaching in Salt Lake City because there is a greater population of Spanish-speaking students down there and a greater need for teachers who are fluent in Spanish. I hope to be able to connect with those students and their parents and create a system of communication that will lead to the students' success. I plan on looking for a full-time teaching job where I can teach both English and Psychology in a public high school.