5 W’SBrianna Dodd

Who Am I?

Friend

Daughter

Sister

Teacher

Learner

I was born in Franklin, a small town outside of Nashville, Tennessee.

My family moved to North Kingstown, Rhode Island as I was going into the 7th grade.

I have family spread from coast to coast in the United States, and I visit my sister in California every summer.

I love reading and watching movies. My favorite author is Jane Austen – the mushy stuff really gets me.

I don’t think I could ever live away from the ocean. I can lay out on the sand during the summer with a good book for 8 hours at a time.

I also love running, especially outdoors in scenic nature spots.

I am an extrovert and a people person; I am energized by social interactions, especially with new people.

I want to be a teacher because…I began my undergraduate career at URI as an

undeclared major. Then, I decided to pursue an English degree with a Business minor. I had toyed with the idea of Education for awhile, and one day wandered up to the Education office in the Chafee building on URI’s campus. The advisor there laid out an entire curriculum plan for me for the next two years, and I was able to graduate with my double major in English and Education, as well as a Business minor. I’m so happy that I decided to “check out” the path to becoming a teacher, because it is the career for me. This is what I am supposed to be doing. This is what I’m good at. This is how I can contribute to society and make an impact on peoples’ lives in a positive way.

I believe that teaching is a very purposeful profession. Teachers are performing an important duty within our society. I can be a positive role model for my students, especially those who may not have any other admirable adult figures in their lives. But the most significant reason that I want to be a teacher is that I want to impart onto my students a life-long love of learning. Our educational system sometimes restricts and de-motivates our students. It should do the opposite. I want to inspire my students to never stop learning, reading, educating themselves, and improving their minds.

My Philosophy of TeachingMy philosophy of teaching is centered upon a quote:

“none of us know what all of us know.” Learning can and should be a social process in which students feel safe and comfortable enough to express their ideas, listen to the opinions of others, collaborate with one another, and communicate about real, important issues. I am a teacher of English because I believe that communication skills are one of the most important tools that a student should gain as they move through the school system. Being able to express oneself in a concise, clear, persuasive, and inspiring way is a skill that all students should come to possess, and it is largely the job of the English teacher to impart these skills onto students.

The classroom should be a place of discovery and thoughtful discussion where students learn and express themselves because they want to and they see the value in it. My lessons should always be relevant; students should always feel that they have some connection to the material about which they are learning. Students should recognize that they have real, valuable ideas and opinions and they should be able to express those ideas clearly in our world once they leave my classroom.

I am a planner; a type-A personality (as many of us teachers are). Therefore, the managerial style of classroom management appeals to my natural sense of organization. However, my leadership style in the classroom also includes the authoritative and humanistic approaches. I recognize the need for rules and standards of behavior, but I also want to foster a sense of maturity, responsibility, and self-motivation within my students.

My goals as a teacher are as follows: to challenge myself as much as I challenge my students; to continuously try new things in my classroom so that my teaching practice may stay rejuvenated; to stay relevant in the lives of my students so that their lives inside of school connect explicitly with their lives outside of school.

Classroom Rules

Be RespectfulListen, speak constructively, be

attentive Be Prepared

Bring materials, be on time, begin immediately

Follow School Rulesconsistency

Positive Behavior Intervention System

Tier 1 InterventionsProximity to students, eye contact with

students, reminders, redirection, move the student’s seat, give student extra help, give student a role/responsibility, verbal praise for desired behavior, public recognition of academic success

Tier 2 InterventionsPrivate talk/ conference with the student,

student must make up the time that they have wasted, talk to parents (first with an email, then by phone call, then a meeting), positive phone calls home, reward desired behavior with extra time/special privileges, self-reflection writing assignments, collaborate on a plan for improvement with the student and obtain their written commitment

Tier 3 InterventionsInvolve school counselor, involve principal,

further contact with parents, create a Behavior Intervention Plan if necessary