Courtney

Certified Tutor

Thinking about my own experience in education, I appreciate the incredible impact that teachers have on the lives of young people. I know that teachers provide skills and knowledge used by young people throughout life. Therefore, as a teacher, my greatest aim is to be a role model. I want to cultivate open minds, the knowledge and ability to look at the world critically, and students' belief in their own capacity
to make positive contributions to society.

I began teaching as a teacher's assistant at the University of Michigan in 2015. I grew my skills and began a teaching position during my Master's degree until I graduated in 2018. Since then, I have taken multiple adjunct professorships, which has given me plenty of experience in classroom-based teaching. I have taken time to set up the classroom for lessons, lab activities, and study sessions. This experience has taught me about the importance of differentiation in lesson planning and how to cater to different student learning. This year I have been chosen as a STEM mentor, which has various responsibilities such as organizing times to meet with my mentees, helping them with life goals, and developing plans to getting careers. I enjoy this role because I feel it is important to help students achieve their goals not just in the classroom but in the real world as well.

My inspiration for teaching stems from my own school experience; particularly because of my Biology teacher. I felt valued because she treated me as an individual, encouraging me to constantly improve myself. My teacher's enthusiasm and commitment motivated us to work hard. Between January and June 2019, I spent time as an educational curator in a challenging school district. I worked with 1st to 4th-grade students. The contrast between this school and the other school systems I worked in for this company was significant I found that a greater variety of styles of teaching were used I expected. I recognize the importance of communication within teaching; something I learned from working for the Biology department during my Master's degree starting in August 2015. I was an assistant in zoology courses and had to liaise and plan with teachers to help with different activities. In January 2016, I was offered the same role again, but this time I was given the opportunity to independently plan and develop an activity. It had to be based on different organism's anatomy, with the aim of the project to become a study tool to use throughout the semester. My undergraduate and master's degree in Biology has given me an understanding of many different concepts. This general understanding is important for teaching. I am now confident that the high school and college-age range is where my main interest in teaching. I currently teach General Biology, Environmental Science, Human Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology. I also teach environmental science at a day camp for K-12 grade students and I have gained confidence in that category as well!

My skills in responsive thinking, sensitivity, patience, high motivation, and enthusiasm are valuable skills that I want to pass onto others. This is my motivation for pursuing a career in teaching and I feel that I have a lot to offer young people.