I have wanted to teach for as long as I can remember. As a child, I loved the first day of school and would pack my backpack over and over again the night before until I have everything "just right." I have worked as a teacher in many capacities since then. I have taught young chefs about knife skills and the importance of yeast in pizza dough. I have taught preschoolers songs to help them remember the days of the week. I have taught fractions and decimals, Civil War battles, poetry, reading skills and writing traits to students in Florida and Georgia. But nothing has taught me more about the learning process than watching my own children learn. 
All of my experience as a teacher and a parent has helped to shape my educational philosophy. I believe that while grades are important, learning how to learn is the most important thing we can teach our youth. Teaching children how to persevere, ask questions and reflect on their own thinking is vital to becoming a lifelong learner.
I would like to teach classes that I find interesting and that I think my students will be interested in.  I plan on incorporating social studies, math and language arts into these lessons as well as opportunities to: reflect on our thinking, find solutions to things that didn't go the way we thought they would, and question the material in order to create a deeper understanding.