School has always been my passion. It might sound cliche, but learning has always interested me. Throughout high school, this interest has shifted from just learning to teaching. I have always enjoyed giving presentations in class, even more so answering questions from my peers. In my favorite subjects of English and Social Studies, there are a variety of answers that can spark discussion in a classroom. A lively debate with my peers over possible solutions helps me learn far better than doing a set of problems. When a close friend was struggling with an assignment, the feeling I got when the concept clicked for her through my help, only cemented my admiration for teaching. Founding the Peer Tutoring program at my high school has given me the opportunity to reach struggling students and adapt my teaching techniques in a way that fits them. Students, specifically sophomores like my sister, have really struggled with the transition between middle school and high school and were only exacerbated with remote and hybrid learning due to Covid. She has also struggled with ADHD and school in general has been a challenge. I created the Peer Tutoring program so that any student struggling with their schoolwork had a viable resource for help, particularly students who had trouble using the usual and sometimes restrictive forms of academic learning, and it also gave the older students an opportunity to demonstrate leadership. I would like to develop a Peer Tutoring program template that can be implemented in schools across the country. I know from personal experience that students can relate to a fellow student much better than with a teacher and can form a bond that will encourage academic growth and provide an easier avenue to ask for help. Also, as a tutor I have been able to create a flexible learning environment for the student. For example, with one of my younger students who could not sit and learn well in a classroom setting, we moved our tutoring outside and utalized physical movement to learn mathematics. Another student that also needed a personalized learning environment was a very different challenge, he was a high school student who was failing out when we started working together. We began meeting weekly at the beginning of 2021, usually meeting for two to three hours on Fridays. Originally he was suggested to me by our guidance counselor, as the student was close to failing school. The online school schedule did not work well for him and his attendance was abysmal. It was a struggle, in the beginning, to get him engaged in the subjects, as math and English were of no interest. After learning more about the student I tried to include his hobbies of mechanics and automotives into the lessons that made him more engaged. He has since experienced a complete turnaround and is now on track to graduate. Working with him helped me realize that not everyone learns the same. Working to figure out the best tools and strategies for him has helped me grow out of the education cookie-cutter format that is far too typical. As a teacher, I hope to make the subjects that I love engaging and enjoyable to others through many different learning techniques, styles and strategies. It is my hope that my time in college will not only give me the tools I need to become a teacher but allow me to become a leader in the field of education and develop a more inclusive tutoring template that can be applied nationwide.

School has always been my passion. It might sound cliche, but learning has always interested me. Throughout high school, this interest has shifted from just learning to teaching. I have always enjoyed giving presentations in class, even more so answering questions from my peers. In my favorite subjects of English and Social Studies, there are a variety of answers that can spark discussion in a classroom. A lively debate with my peers over possible solutions helps me learn far better than doing a set of problems. When a close friend was struggling with an assignment, the feeling I got when the concept clicked for her through my help, only cemented my admiration for teaching. Founding the Peer Tutoring program at my high school has given me the opportunity to reach struggling students and adapt my teaching techniques in a way that fits them. Students, specifically sophomores like my sister, have really struggled with the transition between middle school and high school and were only exacerbated with remote and hybrid learning due to Covid. I created the Peer Tutoring program so that any student struggling with their schoolwork had a viable resource for help, and it also gave the older students an opportunity to demonstrate leadership. I would like to develop a Peer Tutoring program template that can be implemented in schools across the country. I know from personal experience that students can relate to a fellow student much better than with a teacher and can form a bond that will encourage academic growth and provide an easier avenue to ask for help. It is my hope that my time in college will not only give me the tools I need to become a teacher but allow me to become a leader in the field of education and develop a template that can be applied nationwide. I am confident that my calling is education, whether that be with children or adults. As a teacher, I hope to make the subjects that I love engaging and enjoyable to others. I also want to be involved in the leadership and foundation of teaching. I aspire to eventually be an educational leader at the local, state, and national levels, implementing new learning strategies nationwide. I have appreciated the benefits of attending a small school in Maine, but in order to become a well-rounded educator I know that I must also explore and gain wider experience. Attending college and teaching experience out of state, will provide me with opportunities to learn about and assimilate into different communities and cultures. I hope to explore Teach For America after college and possibly work in low income schools or on Native American reservations for several years. I would like to experience as wide of a variety of educational models and school systems as possible in the early years of my teaching career. I think that those experiences will provide me with a solid foundation for the work I want to do in my home state of Maine, which is growing more culturally and economically diverse and will need educators who can be responsive to a variety of needs in their students. My heart and family will always be in Maine, and I will look forward to bringing my energy, learned teaching skills and experience back to the close communities that have been my home for so many years.