Introduction

Hello New Classmates!

My name is Joanna and I live in San Diego, Ca. I decided to become a high school teacher because I believe that education is one of the most important aspects within society. Helping young adults learn how to think critically about the world is something that I hold dear to my heart, and it excites me when I have helped someone learn something important.

When I was out of high school I spent a lot of time with my little brother who was still in high school. I used to help him with "common sense" things that our mom did not teach us. I helped him understand his homework assignments, and how to write well organized essays. I loved when he would ask for help. This is how I knew I wanted to teach high school. However, I was nervous because I was not the smartest kid in my high school. I officially felt confident going into this profession when my brother asked me for help several times one week, and I did not know the answers for biology or how to complete the calculus problems. With a little bit of research we were able to figure it out, and he got A's on all the assignments!

In 11th grade I took AP U.S. History and I had an incredible teacher. Although I have learned that differentiation is key to teaching a broad range of students, this teacher in particular only lectured, and would write about 5 key terms on the board each day. This worked for me specifically as a student, and I fell in love with history. I am not great at memorizing information, so when people say "Oh you're a history major? What year did Andrew Jackson take office?" I am stumped. (And yes, this very question was posed to me in a social setting once!) But, I do not let this affect me. I am great at analyzing information and drawing connections. I am confident in this, and I know that when I am researching I need to write dates and other information that is difficult for me to remember down in a place that is easily visible.

I currently wake up at 4:30am each day to substitute teach at a local high school until 3pm, and work at a restaurant each night from 5pm to midnight. I know that teaching will be hard, especially during the first year, but I am looking forward to the mental challenge and also looking forward to exiting my time working 20 hours/day - plus school.

Substitute teaching has been an invaluable experience and I suggest it for all future teachers. I have seen many classrooms and spoken with many teachers and students about how things work, what the teachers do to keep their class under control, how teachers deal with prominent cell phone use in the classroom, and things that students appreciate and do not appreciate about their classrooms.

I know this post is a bit late (had plenty of trouble with the new system) but I am sincerely looking forward to the remainder of this class with all of you!

Best,
Joanna Koppang

Monday, March 16, 2015

Myer's Briggs Personality Test



Myers Briggs Personality Results:
ISFJ
Introverted (I) 68%
Extraverted (E) 32%
Sensing (S) 50%
Intuitive (N) 50%
Feeling (F) 60%
Thinking (T) 40%
Judging (J) 50%
Perceiving (P) 50%

How did your personality affect your choice of content area?
It is difficult to say exactly why my ISFJ personality type made me choose history as a content area. I think it may have to do with writing essays and helping students find connections. I think that history is a subject in which students can learn alone if that fits them better, and the option can be there for students to work together in groups. Differentiation is key here. Like I said in the introduction to my blog, I learn very well from interesting lectures and do not do as well in group projects. I understand that this is just me, and may be the case for some of my students, but certainly not all of them. I believe when I teach history I will create assignments that work well for the individual learners and the group learners.

How does or will your personality affect your relationships with your students?
According to this test, I am 68% introvert. I think that this will be beneficial in keeping a professional relationship with students. I substitute teach and have been stopped more than once for being “out of class” because the aides thought I was a student who dressed nicely. I am young, and can be interpreted as a student in some cases. I am friendly and open with the students when I sub, but am more quiet than other people are with their classes. I don’t feel particularly comfortable joking around with the kids for fear that something may be misunderstood. But I believe that I am building rapport with the kids, and that if they ever need anything or have a problem of some sort, they can feel comfortable coming to me.
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