60-Second Commercial. “Tell Me About Yourself”:
Who Am I and Where Am I Now?
I have had the passion to be a teacher for as long as I can remember
I graduated from UNC in Greeley in December of last year (2008)
I received a bachelor of science mathematics degree with an emphasis in Secondary education
I minored in psychology with the idea that I might want to be a school counselor after I have
fulfilled many years of teaching experience in the classroom.
Where Have I Been?
I student taught at Rocky Mountain High School where I taught two sections of Integrated 2
Mathematics.
I was hired the next semester after I graduated as a full time mathematics teacher at Rocky. I
am teaching two sections of Integrated 2 Mathematics and one section of Algebra 2.
In college I spent several semesters observing in the Greeley school district where I learned
much about teaching to a diverse selection of students. I had the opportunity to prepare and
implement lessons for a wide range of students as well as work with the students individually
and in small groups.
Where Am I Going?
I have several plans for my development as an educator. My first goal is to obtain my masters
degree in Mathematics Education in the near future. I am very excited to learn more about the
effective strategies that I can use in teaching Mathematics at the secondary level
My second goal is to eventually obtain at least a masters degree in school psychology. I would
possibly like to be a school counselor someday in the not too recent future, but I also believe
that this degree will help me better serve the students in the classroom as well.
I believe I am well prepared to teach mathematics, and I am very excited for everything else I
have to learn in the many years that I will be serving in the school system.
Positive Aspects of Me:
In general:
I am hard working
I am very enthusiastic about being a teacher!
I am a life-long learner
I am extremely motivated to do well in life as well as to be an excellent teacher
I am very well organized
 I set goals
 I make lists
 More organization skills learned from being a traveling teacher, including keeping track
of all papers and student work, making sure I was prepared for every lesson everyday
when I arrived to each of my three classrooms.
I am empathetic to the people around me
I have always worked really well as a team player
Not only can I be a strong leader, but I also well in a cooperative setting.
I can be aggressive when needed.
I am easy going, have an enthusiastic personality, and am easy to get along with
As a professional:
I work very well with others
I value the input and the feedback of my peers
I look forward to learning from the people I work with every single day (including other
teachers, administrators, and students)
I look forward to giving my best effort for the success of the common good
 Within Rocky as a school
 Within the mathematics department
The success of the people around me is very important to me
 I highly enjoy contributing to the success of others
As a school teacher:
I am determined to make sure that my students are successful in my class
I am committed to the idea that all students can learn
I set high expectations for my students and try my best to help them achieve those
expectations
I care about the everyday well being of my students and their success as American citizens
I am highly qualified to teach in my subject area
I am determined to make mathematics a subject that is understood by all of my students, not
just the mathematically inclined
I am highly respected by my students:
 Substitute Mrs. Parry – comment to another teacher (Rose Sprenger): “I think the
students did so well today because they respect [Ms. Shaw] so much”
I have good classroom management skills
 EXAMPLE STORY (Kurtis Campbell): At the beginning of the semester, I had a student
in my class that everybody warned me about. Other teachers would say “Oh you have
him in your class? Good luck with that” in a very snide and sarcastic tone of voice. From
the get-go I was terrified!
 Here is what I’ve learned from that situation: HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GET TO
KNOW YOUR STUDENTS AND TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT
PRIOR JUDGEMENT!!
 Take what people say about another student with a grain of salt. Of course, do
not ignore their advice or comments, but only keep their warnings in the far
back of your mind
 Learn everything you can about that student quickly. Study his or her behavior
habits and what kind of learner (or non-learner ) her or she is. I learned that
this student needs LOTS of attention. I also learned that the other students
respond well to him.
o He likes attention, so I often let him explain how to solve a problem
o He doesn’t like to sit in his seat for very long, so I often let him go up to
the board to write out a problem as I am explaining it to the class
o At the beginning of the class period I let him share a story with the class
if it seems like he is DYING to get something off his chest (most often it’s
something insignificant). If I don’t do this he will be tempted to tell the
students around him at a more inappropriate time (like when I’m trying
to teach a lesson)
o He has always been a problem to his other teachers (being moved from
class to class more than once in a semester) so I’ve asked him tutor
other students who are struggling because that gives him a sense of
purpose and importance.
 Give them the benefit of the doubt and give them the chance to be successful
before making assumptions about them. When given the chance this student
has been VERY successful for me.
I keep my lessons individualized and try to reach out to all types of learners
I maintain an excellent teacher-student relationship with my students
I strive to create a comfortable environment for my students to learn in
Positive Feedback:
From Marian:
“Coachable”
 Eager to try new strategies
 Will seek out the advice of my peers
Good classroom management
From Students:
“I was impressed with her confidence and calm in the classroom”
“The time and effort she puts into every lesson is obvious”
“As we have shared parts of our lives with her, she has done the same with us”
“Ms. Shaw breaks up complicated concepts so that they are easier to understand”
The story of Taylor Johnson
 Taking the same math class for the third time
 Was able to capture his attention and keep him successfully in class for longer than he
had been in the past
 At the end of the semester he wrote me a wonderful letter of recommendation
explaining how I had made him feel as if he could be successful in a subject that he has
lost all of his confidence in. I never gave up on him and he responded very well to that.
 With that and some cooperation from his mother, Taylor is one of my hardest working
students in my Algebra 2 class this semester.
From Parents:
Challenges In My First Year of Teaching:
Taking over full-time teaching before I expected to during student teaching
 Following UNC’s program, my plan was to ease in to teaching after a few weeks ob
observing the classroom norms and atmosphere that was present between the
students and Rose
