I discovered teaching by accident. I completed a B.S.

in Biology from the University of

Idaho in the spring of 2014 but decided very suddenly that I did not want to pursue the career
that this degree had prepared me for. So on a whim, and in a state of contained panic, I applied
for a Masters in Theatre Arts with emphasis in Directing. As part of this program, I was asked to
teach Communications 101, a predominantly freshman speech class. One semester later, I
decided that Theatre was not for me and started taking education classes. Looking back on my
time in college and most especially the theatre program, I realize what drew me to the Masters of
Education were all of the enriching experiences that I had with great educators. I am very lucky
to have had wonderful teachers throughout my education. But those that have inspired me the
most were the teachers that had passion for their subject and really cared about their students. I
want to be the kind of teacher that encourages students to try even when its hard, be that school
or jobs or life in general.
My philosophy of teaching supports the University of Idaho CARE framework because
my foundational principles build students up and aim to make them better citizens of the world.
In biology there are many ways to enhance the connection between people no matter
what ethnicity or social class. We are all made from the same 4 nitrogenous bases that code for
the same 20 amino acids. We all start as embryos with tails and gills and become the people that
make up hundreds of nations. Its poetic and beautiful and all encompassing. There is no room in
my classroom for discrimination because we are all part of a huge cosmic complexity. Every
person is amazingly unique and yet 99.9% the same.
While we teach, we learn. Seneca. I understand this as, you know that youve learned
something when you can teach it to someone else. Teaching requires a level of understanding of
the material that students should be striving for. I encourage students to form study groups and
make graphs and charts in their notes so that they can repackage and re-explain the information
that has been given them in class. One is much less likely to forget something that they have
taken the time to understand.
I write assessments that encourage students to pull information from their minds rather
than just guessing at a multiple choice or a matching. I have them fill out charts and label
pictures and write short answers describing processes. I have also been known to give
assessments that can be filled out at home or with partners so that students can discuss the
answers with their peers in order to gain a more thorough understanding. Yes, these assessments
usually take me longer to grade so time constraints may require adaptation, but I highly value
generative assessments and synthesis-based short answer questions.
Every teacher should be striving for better student engagement, more comprehensive
assessment, effective differentiation, a deeper understanding of the material by students and
better classroom management. These changes can only come from practice and self-reflection. If
we as teachers can be objective about the effectiveness of our teaching and make changes even if
they are difficult, then there will always be potential within us to become master teachers. Now I
dont know that I would advocate students as guinea pigs to parents or administration, but good
teachers do experiments on their students. How can we teach them if we dont understand them?

Be it a new seating chart or stickers for 100% papers, the little things that we do as teachers
make a difference in our classroom environment and in student success. And if we can make the
time to share these findings with other teachers then we as a community can be more effective
for the benefit of the students and the future of our society.
My favorite way to engage with the community is through field trips. Bring students to
gardens, aquariums, local businesses and taking them on walks in the woods are some of the
most effective ways to bring the subject matter to life. I try to have one field trip per unit if
possible and I like to incorporate guest speakers into the curriculum. I am not an expert on all
things biology, though my students dont know that. I like bringing in experts to create a
platform for deeper exploration into real world biological applications. I also believe that there is
room for community-wide involvement in science fairs and fundraising for big projects.