My
time at CKS:
Hi! My name is Elizabeth Simmons and I have been at CKS for ten
years. My first seven years were spent as a
teaching assistant for Kindergarten. During
that time, I worked to acquire my bachelor’s
degree and teaching certificate in the
evenings and summers at University of Texas
at Dallas. For the last three years I have
been teaching first grade.
Teaching Philosophy:
For most children, school is their first
real social situation, the first time they
have to interact with so many children at
once. School should provide for students a
chance to develop social skills, as well as
independence and confidence. In school,
students should learn how to work with
others, as well as alone. They should learn
to trust one another and take
responsibility. A good teacher and school provides many
opportunities for students both socially and
intellectually, but the most important role
of schools is to nurture an enthusiasm for
learning.
One of the jobs of the teacher
is to create this environment, a happy,
friendly environment, where students feel
comfortable coming to learn. In order to
create this sort of environment for
students, criticism and the correction of
mistakes must be minimal and as positive as
possible.
A teacher should nurture an enthusiasm for
learning by providing fun, hands-on
activities that take into consideration the
different learning styles and abilities that
comes with each student.
Most
importantly, a good teacher knows how to
control their class and is fair and
reasonable with the students. On the other
hand, a good student is someone who applies
himself/herself, participates in class, does
their work, and does not act out. A good
student sets a good example for other
students in the class.
Finally, as a teacher I feel it is important
to provide students with different forms of
assessment. There are many ways to assess
student success, and exams are only one
way. Teachers should be assessing their
students on a daily basis, through in class
activities. By doing an ongoing assessment,
a teacher can see where the students are and
if she needs to spend more time on a topic
before moving onto the next. Most
importantly, a teacher should set her
expectations high and maintain these high
expectations. The more a teacher expects
from their students the more they will get,
and the less a teacher expects from their
students the less they will get. It is so
important that a teacher never lowers their
expectations, and always continues pushing
their students for more.
My
hobbies and what I do with my spare time:
In my spare time I like to spend
time with my family and friends. Cooking
with my mother is always a traditional
experience I look forward to each time I
visit home. I also enjoy painting (although
I’m not very good and have little
experience), keeping up with sports such as
college football, the Mavericks, tennis, and
golf, and playing with my kittens. I hope
to, one day, have a busy life with a family
and many children, but until then I stay very
busy and have a happy and satisfying life!
