Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/1141600
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT LATIN? Every time I walk through Latin's doors, I feel motivated by my colleagues and my students. When I observe my colleagues trying out new teaching methods, exploring different classroom resources, reflecting on the new role technology plays in learning, and putting the students' best interests first, I feel tremendously motivated and inspired to be a lifelong learner. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT TEACHING? By the end of every school day, a student has either humored, challenged, motivated, frustrated, delighted or inspired me in some way. Each day brings new surprises, both pleasant and disappointing. I am continually rethinking my approaches, strategies and theories. is may sound like an emotional and mental roller coaster, but it is why I love what I do. Teaching constantly teaches me. WHAT ARE THE BEST PARTS OF YOUR JOB? One of the best parts of my job is being able to teach a class that is focused on one of my passions: writing. Not many schools provide students with additional class time where they can explore different genres of creative writing and hone their compositional skills. WHY DID YOU DECIDE THAT YOU WANTED TO WORK AT A SCHOOL? Some of the most vivid childhood memories I have are when I played "school." As soon as the clock read 4 p.m., I would begin to anxiously anticipate what my dad, a high school English teacher, brought home for me to play with — a cool pen, graded student essays, extra photocopies of worksheets or the ultimate surprise, an old gradebook. Whatever it was, it provided me with what felt like hours of fun. I remember being so excited whenever he gave me permission to "grade" the students' old work. I always knew I wanted to be a school teacher. WHAT PROFESSION, OTHER THAN BEING A TEACHER, COULD YOU ALSO SEE YOURSELF DOING? I could definitely see myself doing something in the culinary industry. When I retire, I would love to own and operate a food truck. I'm thinking food fusion of some sort! WHAT WAS THE LAST GOOD BOOK YOU READ? In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND INTERESTS? Writing and reading poetry, cooking, playing piano, dancing and scrapbooking. WHAT TRAITS DO YOU ADMIRE IN OTHERS? Empathy, flexibility and gratitude. WHAT ARE YOUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES? Positivity is key. It is not always the easiest attitude to have, but I believe it is the most rewarding. Related to this, I always try my best to assume best intentions. SECOND GRADE: RESEARCHERS, CURATORS, EXHIBITORS Did you know that Utah's state bird is actually the California gull? Or that Arizona produces enough cotton each year to make two T-shirts for every American? These were just some of the fun facts parents and special guests of second graders learned at the end-of-the-year States Museum. The project began with every student selecting a state to research using text and digital resources. The information gathered was recorded in journals and the data collected compiled into graphs and charts. For their exhibit, students designed maps of each state using a laser cutter and 3D printer with computer science teacher Fiona Deeney. Finally, science teachers Brian Woodhouse and Dawn McCafferty worked with the students to build circuit boards creating an interactive quiz used to test visitors' knowledge of the USA. At that point, they were ready for visitors! The students are excited and energized by this unit and all the new information they were able to display." – Heather Polek, second grade teacher LATIN MAGAZINE » SUMMER 2019 13 LATIN MAGAZINE » SUMMER 2019