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Graduate Student Professional VITA

Jessica Stec
July 15, 2015
Concordia University, Spring Semester

Introduction
My name is Jessica Stec and I currently live in Bassett, Nebraska. In the
next two weeks we will be relocating to Crawford, Nebraska. I am originally from
north central Oklahoma, but relocated here with my husband and family the
summer of 2012.
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher as I was growing up, it just always
changed between grades and subjects taught. I attended Oklahoma State
University, and graduated in December of 2004 with my Bachelors of Science in
Elementary Education degree.
I always planned on living in Oklahoma, and being near my family and
raising a family in the area. I met my husband, and we had our first child and we
continued living there. The last school I was teaching in, was a struggling school,
with children that came from very rough homes, and were exposed and educated
on many things children of that age should not know about. My husband and I
began talking about where would be a better place to raise our children, as I was
pregnant with our daughter. His grandfather died in April of 2012, shortly after
my daughter was born. We came here, and there was an opening for a middle
school math/language arts teacher, a position I had previous experience in. We
discussed at length the impact this would have on our family, but in the end, the
pros outweighed the cons, and I decided to apply. After a successful phone
interview, I was offered the job. We moved here two months later. We were able
to find a house quickly, and my husband found a job immediately after we

arrived. We believe the whole chain of events leading us here, was God and his
perfect timing.
It has been a good experience, but over the last few months we
experienced a recent unpleasantness, and we felt that we needed to go
elsewhere. I will be teaching 6th grade all subjects in Crawford. We have already
found a house, and my husband has found employment also. We are excited
about the change for our family.
I was teaching seventh and eighth grade math at Rock County Public
Schools, and also sixth and seventh grade language arts. In addition to my
teaching assignment, I was Junior High activity sponsor, Junior High assistant
volleyball coach, and Varsity Girls Assistant Basketball Coach. At this time, I will
not be taking on any extra duty assignments. I want to remain focused on my
family and career.

Student Outcomes
Students come to school for an education. As a teacher, I expect them to
be ready and willing to participate and learn. My biggest challenge that excites
me is motivating students. I prefer the upper elementary/middle grades, and I
enjoy teaching these students. I expect students to listen, pay attention, become
actively involved in their learning, and always ask questions if they need anything
from me. I cannot do my best if I do not know all I can.
My number one goal of educating my students is teaching them how to
think for themselves. I often say I do not want robots, but want individuals that
can think for themselves. The next step is to articulate their thinking. This is a

hard concept, but by sixth-eighth grade, this is what students need in order to
move forward. Education is not a teacher filling their minds, but allowing
students become active in the learning, and asking questions, being engaged in
the content, and thinking through everything.

Instructional Climate
Since Rock County Public Schools is such a small school district, the
classes I taught are about 10-18 students each, and that is the whole grade level.
It is much different from where I have previously taught, since I am the only one
for each of those subjects at that grade level. The freedom we had was much
different than what Ive experienced before, and this allowed me to truly think
about what I was teaching, and get back to thinking what is needed and how am I
going to teach it to the students in a way that leads to success.
In my math classes, I used the textbook materials and resources and
also use technology such as Ipads and the smart board within my classroom,
with the state standards as my guide in what needs to be taught. Math has
always been my strong suit, so it comes naturally for me to teach it, especially at
this level, because I understand this is where most students begin to struggle
with much more difficult concepts. Language arts is such a broad topic, and I
have always struggled in teaching this. I have had to work hard to discover what
is needed and what are the best practices in order to reach the students. Again, I
use the standards to guide me; but I have also reached out to colleagues and
asked them for assistance as to how I teach, since it is not only one subject, but
a combination of reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. I use the textbooks

and resources, and to add to that, many other resources from the internet to
workbooks, in addition to technology that have allowed me to teach in a more
meaningful way.

Instructional Organization
I believe that not all students learn the same and, it is up to the teacher to
recognize this. By using formative assessments in the classroom such as
discussions, student surveys, and through working together, teachers have the
ability to see where students are at and help them succeed. Some students
learn simply by seeing or hearing content. Other students need to actively
manipulate what they are learning. Even better yet is students learn can from
each other. When students have the opportunity to discuss and share, they are
allowing others to think about what they have to say, and everyone can think for
themselves and create a better understanding.
In developing my own philosophy of education, I have thought about
education as a whole, and what is meant to be the outcome of the education we
offer to the students. I believe education should prepare our students to be able
to become productive members of society. In achieving this, we have a
responsibility to teach them not only the material as determined by state and
national standards, but also basic life skills. These life skills center around the
idea of students understanding how to think for themselves. I believe all children
are able to learn, but it is not just learning, but understanding why we learn, and
how to think about what they are learning. As teachers, we are not just spoonfeeding them information, we are guiding them in the learning process as they

are experiencing it through reading, activities, discussion, hands-on, and even


experiences such as field trips. I believe it is my attitude that shows relevance
and importance of material being taught, and building a personal relationship with
the students will allow them to trust me when I am pushing them to think through
material. Its not only material, but the daily interaction with my students, that
teaches them life skills as well. I believe that every opportunity, be it a negative
or positive experience, allows teachers to make an impact if we see it as a
teaching experience. I believe it is not about the grade, but the learning that
takes place, and meeting each child where they are and helping them to
understand how to think and learn. Society has changed from what it was 10,
20, 30 years ago, and more responsibility is placed on the schools and teachers.
I accept this responsibility, and believe as a teacher we can help mold the
students to be prepared for the future. Education of our future is not only a
responsibility of the schools, but also a parent and community responsibility.
Recognizing this, and accepting the responsibility will allow a team approach in
education, and will only benefit the students. I believe if we make education
important again, and provide positive learning experiences, our students will
succeed.

Community Involvement
As I mentioned previously, the community can become involved in the
education of our youth. In order for this to happen, there needs to be support
from the community, and then the school needs to welcome and build
relationship with community members/groups. The school must be willing to

reach out and welcome any support it would be willing to give. Informing those of
what is going on in school and data about goals we have could help on where to
begin with the collaboration. It should not only be the administrators, but also
teachers, sports teams, and various clubs and programs that inform and reach
out. Teachers can invite members to come to their classroom for different
occasions such as career days, historic content lessons, or anything that would
help the students benefit.

Beliefs and Experiences


Effective teachers are those that recognize whole class and individual
needs and then can meet the needs of the students. Effective teachers use
many tools from their toolboxes. They care about the student as a person first
and care about their overall well-being in relation to education. An effective
teacher wants to see each student meet and exceed their potential.
The relationship between teacher and students is built on trust and
respect. Students work best for those they know care about them and are real
with them at all times. Developing a close, professional relationship is important
and sometimes necessary with certain students. Children today come from
many different environments, and they need to feel secure in their learning every
day.
I believe a successful teacher is one who is positive and hard working. He
or she is always looking for ways to improve what he or she is doing, and will do
what is necessary for the students. A successful teachers cares about the
students individually and provides every opportunity for success. This teacher

finds the good in every child and celebrates success in order to encourage
everyone.
A good school begins with a good leader. The leader of the school sets
the bar for the teachers and the students. The leader builds community
relationship within the building and maintains high expectations throughout the
year. He or she supports the teachers and is also open to parents as well. A
good school has all members working together for the success of everyone.
Education is important and everyone takes pride in doing a job well done.

Conclusion
Teaching for ten years has provided many experiences in teaching that
are invaluable. I realize every day I have the opportunity to change a life and I
welcome that task whole heartedly. Teaching is all Ive ever wanted to do; I look
forward to a different experience every time I walk into the classroom. To see
children learn and grow, and to know that I helped is a huge feeling of
accomplishment. I believe my role as an educator is more than teach, but to
inspire as well. I hope to inspire hard work and a love of learning for students to
become successful in their lives.

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