Why did you choose White Tiger as your nature name?
White Tigers have always been my favorite animal because they have the ferocity of normal tigers, but the uniqueness of their white color and blue eyes. Tigers are also known of being extremely loyal when it comes to their pack and I feel the same way with my students. My students are my pack and we all have each other's backs.
How long have you been working in education?
This is my 5th year teaching.
What grades/subjects have you taught? Do you have a favorite?
I have always taught physical education. I have taught Pre-K through 8th grade. It's interesting because I used to go back and forth on which group was my favorite (elementary or middle) but they each have their own advantages and quirks. There's nothing like teaching young children who love you know matter what, have so much energy, and always give me funny stories to tell. But on the other hand, middle school is a really cool age where I feel like as a teacher, I play a huge role in their development and growth into becoming teenagers/young adults and I think that's really special.
How would you describe your teaching style? How does it align with or compare to T.R.E.E.'s?
I've always known when it comes to teaching that I have a really good balance of understanding them on their level and being the "cool" teacher, but on the other hand my students know that I am an authority figure and that I'm not their friend and setting those expectations at the beginning of the year is important because the students know what is expected of them and I think I do a good job of balancing all of that. I think TREE does a good job of knowing that the students are still kids and will behave as such at the end of the day, but also still having high expectations of them when it comes to participating in the program.
What's your favorite part of/memory from Sunship III?
I loved the fact that the students got to experience firsthand the concept of having a checkbook and being responsible for expenses. As an adult myself, it was really eye opening to see how much energy I use daily and I like how Sunship III was able to tie that in with spending money.
If you could give new educators one piece of advice, what would it be?
Pick your battles. Often, when we are first year teachers/new to teaching, we want everything to work smoothly, and I think we tend to spend more time being disciplinarians than actual teachers. Take a minute to think about what's going on and choose your battles, because you will end up exhausted by things that really aren't that big of a deal. Setting clear expectations and having a set classroom management plan at the beginning of the year is extremely helpful with this.
What do you like best about being an educator?
Hands down creating meaningful relationships with my students. Sometimes, being able to sit down and talk with a student who really needs it is more important than the lesson I'm teaching that day and that's okay. To me, teaching goes beyond the classroom and the standards of what we are supposed to teach daily. While I love teaching my students skills and strategies to physical education, I more so love that I am able to see them as more than just my students, but as young adolescents who at times need some guidance along the way.
What drives you to continue your work each day?
Knowing that because I have worked so hard to create meaningful relationships with my students means I have to continue to show up and maintain those relationships everyday.