User talk:Rpaige

Hey Rachel,

I just wanted to let you know that I loved the acronym you found from WVA! It should be posted in in every teachers classroom! Great job! Jkauf007 (talk) 17:57, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

Hi Rachel!

Reading about your educational philosophy was so interesting! For a long time I did not know much about home schooling; however, I have 5 little cousins who are now home schooled (and have been for about 5 years or so) Learning about their educational experience is fascinating to me! They live in PA and have a huge home schooling community up there. So they do a lot of things at home where they are taught by their mom, but also get to do many activities and things with other home schooled children. Did you have any of that here in VA? I totally agree with the concept of finding teaching methods to benefit each child. Kids are SO different and all have unique needs. I think with your experience as a child combined with your chance to nanny will give you such a great foundation for teaching. I hope this semester goes well for you! See you in class! Khedl002 (talk) 16:20, 29 May 2009 (UTC)khedl002

Hi Rachel-

Wow, you were blessed to have such a wonderful mother! My youngest nephew was diagnosed with ADD and with a little medication and a lot of nurturing from his Mom and Dad; he too has had great success in school. I feel so badly for all those kids out there that don’t get the support they need from their home and family like you had. Great teachers, like you said, are so often few and far between. I think about how differently their lives might be if they have someone who takes them by the hand and helps them understand how they need to learn and gives them the support and foundation they need to build upon for success when they move on to the next classroom. You have a unique experience, empathy and knowledge to take into your classroom to help all your students attain their goals. Sciaston (talk) 16:26, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

Hi Rachel

I would also like to commend your mom! Homeschooling can be difficult at times...especially with several children who have different learning styles. I agree with you that it is imperative to teach the classroom as a whole, but at the same time, understanding and accomodating the variances in learning styles. I think you will be able to use your homeschooling experiences to go above and beyond the traditional classroom setting in regards to curriculum, ie. a more hands-on approach. Enjoyed getting to know you...great outlook!Scarlett1 (talk) 06:31, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

Hello Rachel!

I believe your experiences in life will really help you in the classroom. Seeing teachers that come to the classroom after having "real world" experiences are a treat. Those teachers are able to relate to the kids and put education in real and interactive terms. While I understand the need for teachers to come straight out of school and into the classroom, it would be very beneficial for teachers to have some life experiences to draw on before teaching. For example in the business world, most MBA programs want their potential students to have real world experience to draw on before coming into their program. For them it helps bring the program alive. I believe the same is true for teachers who come into the classroom after spending time "living" before teaching. I look forward to working with you during this class! Jtmitchem (talk) 21:25, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

Rachel,

While I can see that a lot of people have already commented on your page, I also wanted to after reading your philosophy of education. First of all, I wanted to tell you that you should be very proud of what you have accomplished despite the severe ADD you faced. Your mother must have been a wonderful teacher to be able to guide you and prepare you so well to succeed even in a regular high school environment. I also agree that teachers need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of individual students in their classrooms so that inclusive classrooms can be successful. Interactive teaching strategies help to include all students and give everyone a chance to participate and learn something in the process. When a child stuggles in school, they may get discouraged. But if teachers can include them in various learning activities as you state in your philosophy, then they will not get so overwhelmed and feel better about learning. Thanks for such an interesting page! Have a great semester! Alucy001 (talk) 20:19, 31 May 2009 (UTC)