Kendra C.

About Kendra C.

I knew that I wanted to be a teacher my tenth grade year of High School. This epiphany came about in science class because my teacher got tired of hearing me say, I want to be a teacher for the mill... more

I knew that I wanted to be a teacher my tenth grade year of High School. This epiphany came about in science class because my teacher got tired of hearing me say, I want to be a teacher for the millionth time and decided that she would give me an opportunity to teach the class. She allowed me to choose any topic that I wanted and then she would let me choose one class period to teach the class about that topic. I remember being very excited and working hard for weeks preparing for this lesson by reading and researching the best way to present the information. I took much pride and pleasure in putting my lesson together and sharing all that I learned with my fellow classmates. In hindsight, I would have never thought that that opportunity would actually lead me to the passion and dedication that I now have for teaching and helping other people to feel the same way. My love for educating and passion as an educator has been a journey filled with academic and professional goals being set and achieved. It has also allowed be to gain a wealth of experience and skills and has shaped my current philosophy of education. It was fate that allowed me to be able to receive an education. As native of the Bahamas I developed a love for the water at a young age and as a teenager learned how to scuba dive. I was able to work as an assistant to a professor at the University of South Carolina who was visiting the island to conduct research. This professor taught me the significance of research and encouraged me to pursue and education at the University. Upon acceptance and receiving a full scholarship I completed a double major in Biology and Secondary Education in three years. After graduating from college I channeled my love for educating others into various career fields. I began working as a high school teacher; I then transitioned to a non-profit organization where I worked as a youth leadership coordinator, an employment training coordinator and worked my way up to Assistant Director of the department. After a successful few years with the nonprofit organization I continued on to become a corporate trainer for another large nonprofit organization and I finally transitioned back to the classroom because I knew that it would fill the void that I felt in my heart and fulfill my desire to return to educating young people. Though my job experiences have a taken me to various career changes, the common thread that connects all of them is educating others. Each job allowed me to utilize and improve upon the awesome gift of educating others that I believe was given to me. These experiences fuel the passion that I have for the field, has allowed me to hone my skills and also enabled me to be exposed to different arenas in the field of education. My experiences have also enabled me to distinguish the areas of need and assisted me in determining the next endeavor in my career. My education, career and life experiences have enabled my to develop my philosophy of education. My philosophy embraces the following ideas, all children can learn, if you are teaching and people are not understanding then you need to adjust your methods, education should be relevant and finally educators need continual education. The idea that all children can learn should be the foundation of all educators. This belief should motivate educators to develop, influence and change the minds of those that they are educating. In addition to getting others to learn, the most inspiring educators must find ways to reinvent their methods of educating and evolve with changing times and people. A big part of the evolution involves self-evaluation, observation and feedback to be able to take ones’ plethora of knowledge and convey it so that all are able to “get it”. An educator should be able to connect any information with real everyday life situations to be able to facilitate understanding and foster creativity. Educators no matter the degree and/or experience should never stop learning, to be able to nurture their skills and challenge themselves personally and professionally. Lastly, I believe that to educate effectively requires a combination of a positive school climate, sound curriculum, effective teachers and servant leadership that will support and serve the teachers and students. My desire is to support teachers in becoming more effective by providing cutting edge resources, training and development to them has lead me to pursue a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction. To continue to accomplish this goal of supporting teachers I believe that I need to gain a comprehensive understanding of theories, trends and changes in the field of education and administration. I am excited and about the prospect of gleaning more information and using the wealth of information gleaned to assist other educators more effectively.

Work History

Education

University of South Carolina-Columbia
PHD - AP English Language and Composition

Subjects

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