Introduction to my EPortfolio

My name is Ruth Saunders.

I developed an interest in teaching when I was very young. The interest became most noticeable when I began to interact with my many nieces and nephews. Not only did I relish in the time I spent with them, but I loved to teach them. However, I got sidetracked in college and ended up majoring in Classical Studies. This did land me a job teaching Latin, but not among the young children that I had my heart initially set upon teaching.

When I raised my own children, I found that my keenness for working with children simply intensified. Nothing brought me more pleasure than being a mom, and not just parenting my children, but finding ways to enrich their lives. We took trips to the zoo, created exciting concoctions in the kitchen, went on exploratory walks through nature parks, made art projects, drew with sidewalk chalk all over the driveway, put on plays, and read and wrote countless books.

As my children grew up, I realized that I didn't want to stop doing these things. I realized that learning was fun, and that I wanted it to continue to be a lifelong experience for me and for the children that I could reach out to. So I went back to school to get the proper certification. And here I am.

Technology has been gradually inserted into my life. I remember my first computer. It was a Macintosh. My husband and I bought it when we were first married. I used to play "Mouse Stampede" on it. I was quite good at "Mouse Stampede." My exposure to technology has been somewhat limited due to the fact that I have been primarily an stay-at-home mom for most of my married life. I have worked in the schools part-time, but this has afforded me only limited exposure to technology. And so, I have come to use it only as it has been convenient for me - cell phone, email, googling for information on the Internet. Other than that, technology has not been of much use to me in my life. However, that is changing now that I am entering the realm of real teachers. I've discovered that I actually may have a knack for technology. If I can take the time to learn it and be patient. That is the key. And I am not always patient. As a mom who was busy doing a million things at once, taking the time to figure something out on the computer was never a priority. As my priorities shift, I can now slow down and figure some of these things out. It will be interesting to see how it changes my life.

My philosophy as a teacher is simple. Make sure all the children learn.

One goal is to let them learn actively as often as possible. I love hands-on learning! I believe students will be more engaged this way, and retain what they learn better. But I'm also a realist. Time and money constraints will not make it possible for all the learning to be done this way. Nor should all the learning be done this way. A balance approach to teaching will be what's in order. I go into it with some idea of what I want to do, but also a willingness to be flexible, to work with others, and to see what works with the students. One final thought about teaching: I will need to get to know the students. Treat them all as individuals. Do what works for the students. One might learn visually, one might learn orally. Work with them on this. And go from there.