Bio
I am an elementary educator with 11 years of teaching experience. I have taught in second grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade classrooms. I earned my elementary education degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. I live in Denver and am currently teaching technology to Kindergarten through 7th graders at Cherry Creek Academy in Englewood Colorado. I have a Masters in Learning Design and Technologies from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Currently, my educational interests include increasing differentiated learning, technology in the classroom, and parent and community involvement.
In my free time, I enjoy camping, hiking, traveling, golfing, walking my dog, Addy, and drawing. I am a Broncos fan and spend a lot of time watching football. I think of myself as being a creative, active person who loves new adventures.
On June 2nd, 2017 I gave birth to my daughter, Cora. My husband, Greg, and I enjoy traveling with her and spending time in the mountains together. Cora is an active toddler who loves music and reading.
Educational Philosophy
Teaching is one of the most important professions an individual can have. I believe that my job as a teacher makes a difference in young people’s lives. What could be more important than working with and helping to shape the future leaders of our society? I feel that my role as a teacher is crucial in children’s lives. As a teacher I am teaching students skills which will enable them to become contributing members of society.
Most importantly, I believe that all students can learn. It is important that I am aware of the most effective way that each student learns. I want to facilitate learning by employing as many strategies as I can. I make sure to keep in mind Multiple Intelligences Theory when I am planning and teaching. No one set of teaching strategies work best for all students at all times. For this reason I make sure to incorporate art, art, music, and movement into my classroom and daily lessons. I truly believe that children learn best by doing. Some children may express themselves best through art, music, or movement. It is important to employ a number of different strategies for teaching so that every child has the opportunity to learn the best way he/she can.
Students should be challenged daily in the classroom. I believe it is important for children to be placed in situations daily where they are able to use critical thinking skills, problem solving, and creative thinking skills. Children should be pushed to think outside of the box. As a teacher, I feel that I can help children become better critical thinkers by asking them higher level thinking questions. Children need to know how to use higher levels of thinking to pull important information from the text and cite evidence when they are speaking or writing. It is important to allow students to have their own opinions, but they should be taught how to use other skills to seek out new and different information. Along with teaching important critical thinking skills, I also have high expectations for all students. Every child can succeed and all children can meet their goals.
Technology is a passion of mine. I believe that technology should be used daily to enhance student engagement, teacher instruction, and student outcomes. Most careers that students will hold in the future will require proficiency in the use of technologies. I believe that it is my job as an educator and school leader to teach students the technology skills necessary to be contributing members of their society. Technology should be used to both enhance daily lessons and increase student engagement.
Teaching is a rich and rewarding profession. As a teacher I believe that I help students become life-long learners, thus helping make their lives fuller and more rewarding. I will help my students become active thinkers, learners, and contributing members of society.
Professional Learning Resources
The following are a list of resources that help me continue to grow as a professional educator.
Books
The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator’s Creative Breakthrough, by Wade and Hope King, has been inspirational for me as I continue to grow as an educational professional. Wade and Hope are experienced educators who have spent time teaching at the famous Ron Clark Academy. In their book they tell a number of personal stories that highlight how they have creatively inspired their students to learn. They also offer tips and advice on how to step out of your comfort zone and take risks within your classroom. I continue to refer back to this book as I push myself to become a better educator.
The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers, by Ron Clark, was the first educator book that I fell in love with. Ron Clark is one of my heroes and has inspired me to make a difference int he lives of my students. In this book he tells many stories of his struggles connecting and handling challenging students. He offers important advice on how teachers can better their classroom management and connect with students. This book has been key to helping me create relationships with all of my students. It has also helped build my foundation to my classroom management systems.
Blogs and Websites
Christine Pinto’s blog, has been an outstanding resource for me during my first year as a technology teacher. Christine is an experienced educator who blogs about successful projects she has done with students. All of her projects explore new and unique technology tools. I visit her blog often when I unit plan at the beginning of each quarter. It’s always nice to see what new and exciting projects she has completed with her students.
Lisa Nielsen’s blog, has acted as a very educational resource for me. Lisa is an innovative educator who found school boring as a child. She uses her blog to help other teachers find innovative ways to make education more exciting for students. Every time I visited her blog I learn something new and can apply it to my own classroom.
Discovery Education is an educational website for both students and educators. Discovery provides supplemental materials to support all types of learners. Along with engaging videos and songs they offer a plethora of teaching strategies and lesson plans. I constantly use this website to enhance my lessons. All of their lesson plans are connected to Common Core Standards. Discovery also offers several professional development workshops through their websites.
Groups and Social Media
Collapporative is a technology meetup group for educators in the Denver area. I joined Collapporative a year before starting my masters program. Collapporative meets monthly and allows educators to come together and socialize. We share ideas, projects, and learn about new and exciting technology trends together. DiscoveryEducation and Microsoft sponsor the meet up group and often provide professional development for us during our time together. This group inspired me to pursue my masters in technology. I have made strong connections with other educators and continue to learn and grow through the monthly meetings.
Joe Dombrowski (Mr. D) is an outstanding educator and comedian that I follow in Instagram. He often posts short videos from his lesson within his classroom. Joe has a special talent for using humor in the classroom to drive student learning. I may not always get the most professional ideas from him but he often offers me some humor to get me through rough days. He does offer great suggestions on how to handle certain situations that may occur while teaching. Joe has helped me maintain a fun side to myself as a professional .
I follow Kyla Dornfeld on Twitter. She is an award winning teacher and inspirational educational speaker. Kyla has inspired me to become the best that I can be as an educator. Her account is filled with ideas that I have implemented in many of my classrooms. She is a master at capturing student’s hearts and using their background knowledge to drive instruction.
Learn More About Me
Interested in my educational background and experiences? Check out my resume.
Allison Sandler 