My name is Shelby Colwell, and I am a senior at Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo, California. For as long as I can remember, I have known I wanted to work with kids. Since I was 11, playing games with my neighbor and little sister, I would always tell them we were going to play school. I made lesson plans, taught them math, ran environmental experiments, and gave them spelling tests. I loved going on the Teacher Pay Teachers website and downloading free worksheets to give them and grade. Even though I was young when I did this, I knew it was something I wanted to do as a career. In the next couple of years, I started volunteering in the kids ministry program at my church, something I still do to this day, and it is what truly cemented my love for teaching children and helping them grow not only in their education but as humans. When I teach the 4- and 5-year-olds in my Sunday school class, it brings me so much joy to see their faces light up when they learn something new. I want to become an elementary school teacher because I want to make a positive impact on the lives of children by helping them build confidence, develop integrity and morals, and most importantly, learn in a fun and engaging way. When I have my own classroom, I plan on connecting with students on an emotional level through daily emotion check-ins, positive self-talk affirmations, and morning greetings. Every morning, I plan on greeting the kids by name with a hug, handshake, or high-five so they feel recognized and know they belong. I also plan to have a magnet scale where students can gauge how they are feeling that day so I can check in with them and help however I can. Additionally, I plan on starting each day with positive self-talk affirmations, saying things such as, "I am a good friend!", "I can do hard things!", and "I am kind and understanding!", then encouraging the children to repeat them after me. I want my classroom to be a place where every child feels safe, included, and supported, regardless of their background or circumstances. Furthermore, on the educational level, I plan to make learning fun by incorporating quiz games such as Kahoot or Blooket, having a Book Character of the Month, and using songs or chants to help children remember what we learn. In my experience, interactive quiz games help children remember what they learned because they have to recall it quickly. Additionally, I hope to teach younger grades, such as kindergarten or first grade, and I plan on having a Book Character of the Month, such as the Lorax from Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. I plan to decorate my classroom with posters of the featured character and positive quotes from the book so children know that reading is fun and can learn from the character. Finally, I plan to incorporate rhymes and songs into my lessons so concepts stick in students' minds. When teaching phonics and English, I also want to incorporate alphabet sounds with hand motions and encourage the children to do the same. Overall, I want to make a difference in children's lives by making learning fun while supporting students academically, socially, and emotionally so they can become the best human beings they can be. My goal is to help them succeed in my classroom while encouraging them to continue growing throughout the rest of their academic careers every day.

My name is Shelby Colwell, and I am a senior at Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo, California. For as long as I can remember, I have known I wanted to work with kids. Since I was 11, playing games with my neighbor and little sister, I would always tell them we were going to play school. I made lesson plans, taught them math, ran environmental experiments, and gave them spelling tests. I loved going on the Teacher Pay Teachers website and downloading free worksheets to give them and grade. Even though I was young when I did this, I knew it was something I wanted to do as a career. In the next couple of years, I started volunteering in the kids ministry program at my church, something I still do to this day, and it is what truly cemented my love for teaching children and helping them grow not only in their education but as humans. When I teach the 4- and 5-year-olds in my Sunday school class, it brings me so much joy to see their faces light up when they learn something new. I want to become an elementary school teacher because I want to make a positive impact on the lives of children by helping them build confidence, develop integrity and morals, and most importantly, learn in a fun and engaging way. When I have my own classroom, I plan on connecting with students on an emotional level through daily emotion check-ins, positive self-talk affirmations, and morning greetings. Every morning, I plan on greeting the kids by name with a hug, handshake, or high-five so they feel recognized and know they belong. I also plan to have a magnet scale where students can gauge how they are feeling that day so I can check in with them and help however I can. Additionally, I plan on starting each day with positive self-talk affirmations, saying things such as, "I am a good friend!", "I can do hard things!", and "I am kind and understanding!", then encouraging the children to repeat them after me. I want my classroom to be a place where every child feels safe, included, and supported, regardless of their background or circumstances. Furthermore, on the educational level, I plan to make learning fun by incorporating quiz games such as Kahoot or Blooket, having a Book Character of the Month, and using songs or chants to help children remember what we learn. In my experience, interactive quiz games help children remember what they learned because they have to recall it quickly. Additionally, I hope to teach younger grades, such as kindergarten or first grade, and I plan on having a Book Character of the Month, such as the Lorax from Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. I plan to decorate my classroom with posters of the featured character and positive quotes from the book so children know that reading is fun and can learn from the character. Finally, I plan to incorporate rhymes and songs into my lessons so concepts stick in students' minds. When teaching phonics and English, I also want to incorporate alphabet sounds with hand motions and encourage the children to do the same. Overall, I want to make a difference in children's lives by making learning fun while supporting students academically, socially, and emotionally so they can become the best human beings they can be. My goal is to help them succeed in my classroom while encouraging them to continue growing throughout the rest of their academic careers every day.