Hello! My name is Moenika Wells.
Welcome to my professional portfolio. I have created this portfolio to showcase my learning and qualifications gained through the Dixie State College Elementary Education Program. I anticipate to graduate from the Elementary Education program in December of 2010. I have based this portfolio around the Dixie State Education Department Standards (D.E.S.E.R.T.). For each standard I present two artifacts that show mastery of that standard.
Biographical Sketch
I was born in Logan, Utah. I moved to St. George at the age of three and have lived here ever since. I graduated from Dixie High School in 2006.
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to become a teacher. My Father is an Elementary School teacher and my desire to be a teacher stems from him. At a young age, I loved going to my Dad’s classroom. I loved helping him hang bulletin boards, or change the calendar at the end of the month. As I got older, I started to see the genuine impact that my dad has had, and continues to have, on his students. Over the years I have had many people tell me that they had my dad as a teacher and how much they loved being in his class. This occurrence always made me proud. It made me want to be like my Dad. I want to have an influence for good on other people’s lives like my Dad has. I feel that I have qualities that will enable me to do just that. I have a natural love and care for people, especially children. I have a calm personality that may help my students to feel safe, and that can be helpful to classroom management. I enjoy learning and hope to share my enthusiasm for learning with my students.
Educational Philosophy
The purpose of education is to enable people to be the best that they can be. To have an education is to have power. The more that a person knows, or the more educated a person is, the better decisions that person can make. I want a world full of educated people who are empowered and enabled to make the best decisions to better themselves and their communities.
The role of the student in education is that of a learner. In order to learn, the students in my class will need to be prepared and be actively participating. Students should be prepared to learn by having appropriate materials ready for use. They can also be prepared by knowing the classroom rules and procedures, and by being willing to follow these policies. Students need to be active participators in their own education. Students can participate in a variety of ways depending on the activity at hand, but students should always be listening for instruction and information.
My role as the teacher is to help students learn by having high expectations. If I expect my students to succeed then they will. As I teacher, I will create a pleasant classroom environment with well-established procedures. My classroom will be focused on learning but also one that feels very safe and welcoming. I will care for each of my students as individuals. I will make accommodations for students when needed so that all students in my class will succeed. In addition to curriculum content I will teach my students to be good people. I will help them to build character by taking advantage of natural teaching moments that occur. I will build the confidence in my students that they will need to be successful in their lives. As their teacher, I will strive to continually be an excellent example to my students of a life-long learner, an active participant in my community, and of optimism in life.
