Action Research
My second year of study at the University of San Diego will be primarily devoted to developing my action research. The goal of this research is to improve upon my personal ability to teach as well as to further benefit my students in terms of their learning and understanding in my classroom this semester. Toggle through the drop-down tabs at the top of this page to peruse all parts of my action research as they are added. I hope you find my project helpful, enlightening, and inspiring.
Teaching Philosophy
The drawing you see to the left is my personal illustration of my "omoi." This Japanese word can be best understood as a "deep-seated feeling integrated with your thinking, past memory, intension, and passion that penetrates your mind and defines your identity." I was asked to draw this by my action research professor at the University of San Diego as a way to express how we truly feel about teaching. My personal journey will help explain this image further.
I have had a desire to teach since I was in elementary school. Both my fourth and fifth grade teachers taught beyond the curriculum and helped instill within me 21st century skills at a very young age. Middle school was a letdown in comparison to my learning in elementary school, but I cultivated my newfound skills with the Boy Scouts of America. In high school, I had the pleasure of working with several extremely talented teachers who all helped me refine my skills for use beyond secondary school in both academic and professional spheres.
Within the the years that followed, I attained my Eagle Scout award, worked for the University of California Police Department, and graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in history and a minor in English. My passion for teaching and education was at an all-time high and I promptly enrolled at the University of San Diego's School of Leadership and Education Sciences.
In a sense my previous life experiences had all led up to this point. Day in and day out, I carry with me skills I have been sharpening up since elementary school and I dream of one day becoming as effective as some of my previous teachers were; the same teachers who demonstrated that learning history and English is so much more than facts, dates, and conventions. So much of what teachers today must do for their students relies on preparing these youths for life beyond school, in a world that continues to grow every single day. In addition, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout and working within a police organization dedicated to maintaining the safety of a community has shown me the importance of great leadership and strong citizenship.
I believe all of these attributes converge at a very early point in everyone's life and can all be accessed within the classroom. As I develop professionally, I want my students to leave my classroom every day a little bit wiser. Their understanding of the world around them should be built upon effective critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, leadership, and good morales. In turn, my students will pay it forward to the community in the hopes of making our fast-moving world a little brighter and kinder in the process.
I have had a desire to teach since I was in elementary school. Both my fourth and fifth grade teachers taught beyond the curriculum and helped instill within me 21st century skills at a very young age. Middle school was a letdown in comparison to my learning in elementary school, but I cultivated my newfound skills with the Boy Scouts of America. In high school, I had the pleasure of working with several extremely talented teachers who all helped me refine my skills for use beyond secondary school in both academic and professional spheres.
Within the the years that followed, I attained my Eagle Scout award, worked for the University of California Police Department, and graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in history and a minor in English. My passion for teaching and education was at an all-time high and I promptly enrolled at the University of San Diego's School of Leadership and Education Sciences.
In a sense my previous life experiences had all led up to this point. Day in and day out, I carry with me skills I have been sharpening up since elementary school and I dream of one day becoming as effective as some of my previous teachers were; the same teachers who demonstrated that learning history and English is so much more than facts, dates, and conventions. So much of what teachers today must do for their students relies on preparing these youths for life beyond school, in a world that continues to grow every single day. In addition, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout and working within a police organization dedicated to maintaining the safety of a community has shown me the importance of great leadership and strong citizenship.
I believe all of these attributes converge at a very early point in everyone's life and can all be accessed within the classroom. As I develop professionally, I want my students to leave my classroom every day a little bit wiser. Their understanding of the world around them should be built upon effective critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, leadership, and good morales. In turn, my students will pay it forward to the community in the hopes of making our fast-moving world a little brighter and kinder in the process.