Centre Stage Curriculum

I have wanted to be an educator since I was ten years old. It is because of this passion that I have dedicated the last sixteen years of my life to better my own understanding of what it means to be a teacher. I have worked in 4 different districts as a middle school and high school theatre teacher in the state of Texas. Outside of public school, I have worked at Dallas Children's Theater where I worked with students as young as 3 years old to as old as eighteen years old, as well as with special population students. In my most recent district I currently teach a Buddies class with only special population students in a "PALs" setting.

The chief goal of the professional educator should be to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive in their classroom and beyond regardless of socioeconomic background, race, religion, creed, social standing, or interest. And as such the educator should foster an environment where each student feels safe and comfortable taking risks and sharing ideas free of judgment or ridicule. In order to do so an educator should understand that there is no student that is beyond the reach of a well-trained, well-prepared, dedicated educator. All students are capable of learning, however, every student learns differently. That is why I believe that it is up to the educator to identify how each student learns and find ways to incorporate their learning style into their lesson plans. That is not to say that the students dictate how, when, and what will be taught but rather that the educator must act as a guide and a mentor to encourage students to chart their own learning in order to transform each student into a life-long learner. In this way, through variation of learning and guidance, every student can find some way to connect to the lesson and find their own love of learning through the act of discovery based on their interests, skills, and experiences. This takes a massive amount of planning on the part of an educator, but we cannot allow ourselves to fall short in this duty. This is not something one does because they can, it is something one does because they must. I believe that an educator cannot simply keep a quiet and orderly classroom while students labor away at busy work; they must engage the students and help to illuminate truths about the world, the content, and the self. An approachable teacher who not only respects but values the opinions of their students is a person that students will follow. A teacher who allows freedom to choose, to explore, and to discover is a figure that students will obey when it’s time to get serious. Maintaining a firm, yet positive atmosphere is the first step to arriving at a mutual respect between student and teacher. In the end, it all comes down to the student. The student must be the primary focus of every educator. Teaching is not a performance; the students are not present to watch words spill from the mouth of the educator while mindlessly copying notes. They are there to learn, to think, to do, and to create. The professional educator must never forget this. They must never forget that the end goal is to aid students in reaching a point where they can create new things for themselves and for the world. Through a warm, welcoming, and open classroom we can inspire students to begin their journey through education and shift them from the idea that learning is just something you do in the confines of a school into something you do every second of every day.

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I graduated from the University of North Texas in 2018 where I earned my degree in Theatre. After which, I immediately began the process of Alternative Certification through ITeachTexas! I am also a graduate of Rockwall Heath High School in Rockwall ISD, where I earned my high school diploma.

I strive for excellence in everything I do so please reach out if you have any problems with any of the lessons or documents. I will do my best to help you out in any way I can!