Why I Teach

• Describe yourself as a teacher. What do you teach? How long have you taught?
• I am a facilitator and role model.  I teach because I love people and learning.  I have been teaching for twelve years.
• Why did you become a teacher?
• I became a teacher because it is something I have wanted to do since I was a little girl.  My first class was Gus my polar bear, Julie my cheerleader doll, green baby, and red baby.  I set them up in a neat row in the back of the station wagon on the way home from our summer vacation in MI.  I would teach them their Abc's and numbers.   
• What's your favorite thing about teaching?
• My favorite thing about teaching is developing relationships with my students and their families.
• What are 2 or 3 of the most important things you want students to learn, in general and about your discipline?
• I want my students to learn how to learn independently, how to research something they are interested in and find the answers to all their questions, and to develop the self awareness of themselves as authors.
• What do you think makes someone a good teacher?
• Patience, generosity of spirit, creativity, and the ability to focus on concrete objectives make a good teacher. 
• What's the best way to motivate students to learn?
• The best way to motivate students to learn is to find out what they are interested in and give them the tools, time, space, and freedom to discover what interests them.