Growing and Developing Professionally

In order to be a truly effective educator, one should never stop learning. To be able to fully help prepare my students for their future, I have taken the opportunities presented to me to grow and develop as a professional. I have participated in training programs on both autism and Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, and in February of 2010 I attended the Learning Disability Association's International Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Throughout my time here at Elizabethtown College, I have volunteered numerous times to assist with activities that involve working with children. Last year I participated in Scouting University, where I volunteered as a camp counselor to teach Girl Scouts about environmental health in order to earn their badges. Most recently, I taught the Junior Achievement Program as a volunteer to a third grade classroom. The Junior Achievement program teaches students about business and economics in a way that is both easy to understand and fun.

I am committed to fulfilling my reponsibility to grow and develop professionally. Not only will this help me stay current on best practices in education and emerging research about how children learn, but it will also benefit the children that I will someday teach in my own classroom by providing them with the best instruction that I am able to give.