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💗w+t=l / About the Author Flynn Home Learn More Standards Inspiration About the Author |
About Kathy Flynn
I was actually CALLED to teach and I owe it to my friend with whom I went to elementary, middle, high school, and college. He became a teacher right out of college. He asked me to help him in his second grade class and I figured, why not?
I went, I watched, I did everything he asked me to do. He even said I could do an art project with a small group. “Who wants to be in Mrs. Flynn’s group?” A resounding, “I do!” came from the class. Multiple kiddos wanted me. I wanted them. It was AMAZING. This is IT. I wanted this every day. My calling, I kid you not. That was 1994.
I happily subbed for a few years and slowly made my way through my first teaching credential. My very first position was in elementary teaching a k/1 combo class. The hardest thing I have ever done! But I treasured all my days with these kids and learned so much. As a newer teacher, I was one of the ones to be laid off in 2008. My heart sank. I quickly brushed myself off and enrolled in Touro University to obtain my Education Specialist Credential and started working with students with mild/moderate disabilities. I LOVE special education. I have been passionately working with some of the coolest kiddos on the planet for the last 13 years.
I went, I watched, I did everything he asked me to do. He even said I could do an art project with a small group. “Who wants to be in Mrs. Flynn’s group?” A resounding, “I do!” came from the class. Multiple kiddos wanted me. I wanted them. It was AMAZING. This is IT. I wanted this every day. My calling, I kid you not. That was 1994.
I happily subbed for a few years and slowly made my way through my first teaching credential. My very first position was in elementary teaching a k/1 combo class. The hardest thing I have ever done! But I treasured all my days with these kids and learned so much. As a newer teacher, I was one of the ones to be laid off in 2008. My heart sank. I quickly brushed myself off and enrolled in Touro University to obtain my Education Specialist Credential and started working with students with mild/moderate disabilities. I LOVE special education. I have been passionately working with some of the coolest kiddos on the planet for the last 13 years.
My Philosophy of Education
Now that I have a deeper understanding of what disabilities are, and how they can tangle a child’s ability to process information, I am acutely aware that not all students are the same and therefore can not be taught in the same manner as their peers. Equality is teaching the same way to every child. Equal is not best practice. Equity involves distributing resources based on the unique needs of the student. If one learns differently then it is my job to figure out how best to bring the curriculum, and to bring it with love.
The purpose of special education, and therefore my purpose, is to enable students to successfully develop to their fullest potential. This is an ongoing journey and I always crave a better way to bring my students the education they deserve. There is so much more I want to know. Like many teachers, when I conclude a school year, I am already trying to figure out what I can improve on for next year. I believe that when the day comes that I am NOT interested in making for a better educational experience for my students, then that is when it is time to hang up my little whiteboards, push in my chair, and turn off the lights. This journey that I have embarked upon with my Master's Cohort has only strengthened my desire to be the best teacher I can be.
My TPACK Journey
The framework that we are investing ourselves in - TPACK, is something that I have been engaged in for many years, but without the realization of its title. TPACK is a model that by design engages the learner in a deep way. We as instructors should combine technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge in order to teach effectively. My content knowledge has always been strong. My pedagogical is intertwined with everything I do, each day that I teach. My technological prowess is...improving! Thank you - and I mean this - to Touro University and NapaLearns. Teaching during Covid has changed my life and the entire foundation on which I stand. I can not imagine plodding through the thick, muddy landscape that is distance learning without all the professional development, the offerings of camaraderie and kinship from my colleagues, and the education I am harnessing from Touro University. My personal TPACK journey is continuing and strengthening, which should help my students - of all abilities - become true 21st century learners.
The framework that we are investing ourselves in - TPACK, is something that I have been engaged in for many years, but without the realization of its title. TPACK is a model that by design engages the learner in a deep way. We as instructors should combine technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge in order to teach effectively. My content knowledge has always been strong. My pedagogical is intertwined with everything I do, each day that I teach. My technological prowess is...improving! Thank you - and I mean this - to Touro University and NapaLearns. Teaching during Covid has changed my life and the entire foundation on which I stand. I can not imagine plodding through the thick, muddy landscape that is distance learning without all the professional development, the offerings of camaraderie and kinship from my colleagues, and the education I am harnessing from Touro University. My personal TPACK journey is continuing and strengthening, which should help my students - of all abilities - become true 21st century learners.
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