Learning Manifesto

My Passion

As a middle school student, I realized sitting in my 7th grade English class that I liked education and that I wanted to be like my teacher. This interest in education and becoming a teacher grew throughout the year as we completed book reports and assignments. I found interest in technology along the way, especially when using my student Chromebook to write reflections on books such as The Giver by Lois Lowry. 

My interest in education and wanting to become a teacher continued into high school. At this point, I thought I would always go on to become a middle school teacher, but in my Sophomore year of high school, I began a program called Education & Training. This is where I truly found my calling for education in the elementary setting. My high school teacher taught me the foundation of education and the important pedagogies involved. I completed two year’s worth of field work inside an elementary school setting assisting with Kindergarten and first grade.

My mentors during these years drove my passion for education deeper and I went off to university confidently understanding the importance of my impact as a teacher and that this is the field I needed to be in. I am not only passionate about education but technology too. My interest in technology began as early as 2003 when I used the Leapfrog my mother gave me to teach me phonetic skills through digitally based games. I remember sounding out my letters and using the controller on my leapfrog to make my bunny hop onto the log to eat the letter carrots. I thoroughly enjoy exploring innovations in technology and incorporating them into my classroom, such as Google Classroom. I’ve created an environment of successful and independent second-grade students over the last few years. They all have gained knowledge on how to use a Chromebook and access materials for their learning.

Emerging Issues in Digital Learning

When I began my teaching career in 2020, I saw and experienced the student and teacher learning curve of hybrid learning environments during COVID-19. There was not enough information and training at the time to navigate public schools in successfully implementing hybrid learning. Students often didn’t show up online for class and if they did they struggled with participating in live discussions or typing answers on Google Classroom assignments. Students lacked digital literacy skills that would have enabled them to participate in more meaningful ways. On a national level, during this time almost every educator you would ask would share online that they also experienced the same challenges with students not being properly educated on digital learning. 
I strongly believe there’s still a lack of attention on digital literacy. I often question why blended learning efforts are being pushed in some public school districts when students do not know how to successfully implement digital literacy skills to pursue a blended learning environment. Students do not know how to search on Google, type in a password, pass through security checks when logging in, or turn in tests online. The issues I raised in my previous sentence are actual items we explore and have challenges in second grade.

What’s Right With Education and How to Enhance It

There are a lot of choices we all can make in life. Being negative is a choice. Instead of continuing to focus on what negatively impacts education we can turn the conversation around and discuss the things that are going well and how we can enhance education. One of the first things I see going right with education is the love teachers have for their students. There is nothing like the love a teacher has. I see educators treating their students like their own children and having empathy for the lives that these children go through, especially children in Title I campuses where it’s unspoken poverty. Education can be enhanced with a little more empathy, a little more social-emotional learning (SEL), and relevant skills that will truly guide students in the future.
One of those skills is digital literacy because outside of the classroom students go home to technology, such as tablets, phones, gaming consoles, televisions, and laptops. It would be respectfully responsible to guide students on safe digital learning practices and necessary skills. I also believe that education would benefit if students were given the chance to explore and practice the COVA (choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning) approach created by Dr. Harapnuik and Dr. Thibodeaux. The COVA approach would positively enhance students' learning with more up-to-date practices. When students have a choice in their learning, ownership of their learning, a voice in their learning, and the ability to participate in more authentic learning environments it leads to more positive attitudes about learning and continuing a higher education. 

My Core Beliefs and Impact

My core belief is fairly straightforward regarding the topic of digital learning. Every child reserves the right to an education that instills relevant skills, knowledge, and an opportunity to experience authentic learning. I hope as I continue my career as a teacher that I complete my due diligence in teaching digital literacy skills that will set my students up for future success in their professional and personal lives. Technology is the future of tomorrow.