About Me...

The Elementary Education Program has prepared me for licensure in preschool/kindergarten-6th grade. It is a 5-year Master of Arts in teaching program. As an undergraduate student, I majored in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies (IDLS) and minored in Elementary Education (ELED). IDLS has given me the opportunity to explore a wide range of subjects, while focusing mainly on humanities and social sciences. The Elementary Education courses have equipped me with the necessary tools and skills needed to be a well rounded elementary school teacher.

I have had the opportunity to work in a kindergarten and fourth grade classroom for my two practicums. These very different experiences have provided me with the chance to work with children as well as their families. Every new opportunity to work with children adds to my professional growth and development as a future teacher. I believe learning and bettering myself as a teacher comes from being fully immersed in a classroom or children centered environment.

Spring semester of my senior year, nearing my departure into the real world, I looked back on my career in education and realized I was never offered a course in classroom management. I signed up for an elective offered through the Exceptional Education Department called Classroom Management and Professional Collaboration, one of the best decisions I made in my college career. This course focused on techniques used to manage the behavior of students. In addition to managing children’s behavior, I learned how to actively create a learning environment that fosters safety and emotional well being, positive social interactions, and diversity.

I am confident and eager to put the skills acquired at James Madison University to use.