A Tad Bit About Me
Hello! My name is Jana and I am an Elementary Education major with math and social studies minors. My hometown is actually Jackson, Michigan, so I am not far from SAU. I have lived in Jackson since I was about two, but a fun fact is that my family has actually lived in three different houses on the same street! Last summer I had the awesome chance to "live" (if two months counts as "living" there) in the jungle of Indonesia, where I homeschooled and tried to keep up with a family of five energetic but lovable missionary kids.
Overall, I wish to become a certified teacher because I want to positively impact the lives of students and help them grow, not only in their academics, but also in their character. Unlike a lot of soon-to-be teachers, however, I have not always wanted to be a teacher. Growing up, my dad was (and still is) a teacher, my mom did a lot of work in the education system, and my older sister wanted to be a teacher, so I always knew being a teacher was the last thing I wanted to do. It wasn't until my senior year of high school when I had a chance to work with a third grade class at my district's elementary school and then having a chance to observe in a variety of classrooms during EDU 140 the next year that I made my decision. Doing all of this observing and working in classrooms helped me make two important realizations. First, I realized I loved working with kids. And second, I remembered how much of an impact my teachers had had on me, especially during my upper elementary and middle school years, and how many great life lessons I had learned from them. I simply decided that I wanted to have this kind of impact on other students like myself. Since then, I have had a great number of opportunities to work with children and teenagers, both academically and non-academically, and my passion for becoming a teacher has become even greater. I am extremely excited that I will officially be a certified teacher as soon as (and as long as) I successfully finish my student teaching in the fall!
Over the past few years, God has really put a passion in my heart for working with people of inner-city environments, and I have had a few limited but eye-opening experiences in working these kinds of settings. Because of this, and because of the great need I see in the education systems of these areas, I hope to at least begin my teaching career in an urban environment. A program I have discovered recently called Memphis Teaching Residency seems to provide great faith-based urban education training, as well as employment in the Memphis (Tennessee) Public School District for those who complete the program. This is something I am really looking into as a place to start my actual teaching, although my plans are certainly not set in stone and I am very flexible about where I may end up. My ideal grade levels are upper elementary or middle school, and I will be certified to teach social studies and math at the middle school level. I am excited to teach at these grade levels because these are the years it seems students are able to really begin thinking critically and discussing complex ideas. I also think these years are often the time students really begin thinking for themselves and developing their own beliefs and standards. As I mentioned, many of my teachers had a great impact on me during these years of my life, and I am hopeful to do the same for my students!
And that's just a tiny bit about me. I hope you enjoy this brief digital portfolio I have put together!
Jana Horton
Overall, I wish to become a certified teacher because I want to positively impact the lives of students and help them grow, not only in their academics, but also in their character. Unlike a lot of soon-to-be teachers, however, I have not always wanted to be a teacher. Growing up, my dad was (and still is) a teacher, my mom did a lot of work in the education system, and my older sister wanted to be a teacher, so I always knew being a teacher was the last thing I wanted to do. It wasn't until my senior year of high school when I had a chance to work with a third grade class at my district's elementary school and then having a chance to observe in a variety of classrooms during EDU 140 the next year that I made my decision. Doing all of this observing and working in classrooms helped me make two important realizations. First, I realized I loved working with kids. And second, I remembered how much of an impact my teachers had had on me, especially during my upper elementary and middle school years, and how many great life lessons I had learned from them. I simply decided that I wanted to have this kind of impact on other students like myself. Since then, I have had a great number of opportunities to work with children and teenagers, both academically and non-academically, and my passion for becoming a teacher has become even greater. I am extremely excited that I will officially be a certified teacher as soon as (and as long as) I successfully finish my student teaching in the fall!
Over the past few years, God has really put a passion in my heart for working with people of inner-city environments, and I have had a few limited but eye-opening experiences in working these kinds of settings. Because of this, and because of the great need I see in the education systems of these areas, I hope to at least begin my teaching career in an urban environment. A program I have discovered recently called Memphis Teaching Residency seems to provide great faith-based urban education training, as well as employment in the Memphis (Tennessee) Public School District for those who complete the program. This is something I am really looking into as a place to start my actual teaching, although my plans are certainly not set in stone and I am very flexible about where I may end up. My ideal grade levels are upper elementary or middle school, and I will be certified to teach social studies and math at the middle school level. I am excited to teach at these grade levels because these are the years it seems students are able to really begin thinking critically and discussing complex ideas. I also think these years are often the time students really begin thinking for themselves and developing their own beliefs and standards. As I mentioned, many of my teachers had a great impact on me during these years of my life, and I am hopeful to do the same for my students!
And that's just a tiny bit about me. I hope you enjoy this brief digital portfolio I have put together!
Jana Horton