Jennifer Wade Home Learn More Inspiration About the Author
About the Author Jennifer Wade |
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Personal Profile
This school picture is from 20 years ago, when I first started teaching in Seaside, California at a bi-lingual school. At the time I did not speak a word of Spanish, so I spent most of the day reading aloud to my kinder students, trying to make sense of what I was reading. Looking back, I am certain that they taught me more than I taught them. In the following years, I would travel to many places and have many educational experiences. All of which has kept me on the teacher path and for some reason, always back to kindergarten.
A majority of my career has been as a public school kindergarten teacher in the Napa Valley, but I have also taught English at the Napa Adult School, was the Lead Teacher for the Migrant Education Summer Outreach Program, taught parenting classes for summer school sessions, and was a 3rd-6th grade science teacher as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua from 2010 to 2012. My Spanish is much improved, but by no means fluent.
My passion for teaching lies mainly in language development, early literacy, parent communication, and now innovation. It is an honor and a challenge to work with my kinder students at Shearer Elementary. I am working diligently to improve my instruction and remain current in my pedagogy.
This school picture is from 20 years ago, when I first started teaching in Seaside, California at a bi-lingual school. At the time I did not speak a word of Spanish, so I spent most of the day reading aloud to my kinder students, trying to make sense of what I was reading. Looking back, I am certain that they taught me more than I taught them. In the following years, I would travel to many places and have many educational experiences. All of which has kept me on the teacher path and for some reason, always back to kindergarten.
A majority of my career has been as a public school kindergarten teacher in the Napa Valley, but I have also taught English at the Napa Adult School, was the Lead Teacher for the Migrant Education Summer Outreach Program, taught parenting classes for summer school sessions, and was a 3rd-6th grade science teacher as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua from 2010 to 2012. My Spanish is much improved, but by no means fluent.
My passion for teaching lies mainly in language development, early literacy, parent communication, and now innovation. It is an honor and a challenge to work with my kinder students at Shearer Elementary. I am working diligently to improve my instruction and remain current in my pedagogy.
Reflections on My Journey
I joined the Peace Corps in order to fulfill a life-long goal, but also because I wanted to improve my Spanish in order to better communicate with the families in my school community. The Peace Corps was like living in a PBL for two years, and I treasure the experience. Upon returning to the classroom it didn’t take long before I realized that my education was still incomplete. I felt that the students at my school, students at risk, required the best instructional skills and I knew I had to update my practices. I wanted to create an environment that put the 4 C's at the center of learning and use technology in a meaningful way. I have always tried to bring my teaching to the mind of the child, but I was not successful in doing this as an 'immigrant' in the new world of digital citizenship where my students were 'natives.' My technology skills had to improve in order to keep my teaching engaging and current for my students. The Touro University Master's Program has been an amazing journey that has opened my mind to new and innovative forms of student engagement, models of instructional design, technology integration, and current educational studies. The program has rejuvenated my practice and I am excited to put these newly learned skills to work for me, my students, my staff, and my community.
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Lasting Learning from the Innovative Learning Program
As educators we strive to teach the 4 C's of 21st-century learning; Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, and Citizenship, but rarely are we given a chance to work within these standards in an authentic classroom environment ourselves. The Touro Program provided me with this amazing experience. My new found digital literacy has inspired me to keep seeking and discovering new programs that increase learning for me and my students. Rather than fearful and frustrated, I now approach new tech tools with bravery and perseverance, just how I would want my students to approach any new learning. Through the study of the TPACK model, I have developed an understanding of how best to integrate technology into my teaching and the content of my instruction in a meaningful way. This has been an amazing learning experience. Thank you Touro University for your instruction and thank you Napa Learns for your financial support. This lasting learning experience has helped me to remember that I am a life-long learner, and I intend to remain true to that title.