I prioritize developing innovative ways to accommodate learning differences in the classroom. As I started my education toward teaching certification, I have had the enlightening opportunity to work with closely with students with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and Asperger’s Syndrome. What was most surprising about working with these students was that even an awareness of their learning differences helped transform these students from the ones teachers dreaded to the ones that participate in insightful and creative ways. One student who frequently disrupted class and openly refused to work became a model student to her peers after she was diagnosed with dyslexia and both her and her teacher gained a better understanding of how to accommodate her learning difference. In the classroom, I strive to present the material through multisensory experiences. Images, mind maps, word diagrams, color coding grammatical structures, activities that require reading aloud, online recordings, and various other technologies are all ways that reach out to learning differences across the classroom. But, this is an aspect of teaching that I plan to develop and advance throughout my teaching career. Every student deserves a fair chance to learn, and it is the teacher’s responsibility to provide this.

I want my students to know why I have pursued the study of Classical languages. On the first day for every course, I explain to students what experiences shaped my career path. Like most of my students, I chose to take Latin in high school without any reason other than it was a different option for foreign language requirements and that my minimal experience with Roman culture was interesting. However as I saw how language can be used in a myriad of ways for expression, like word positioning mimicking action in the Aeneid, or that distant and extraordinary stories like Prometheus Bound reflected upon the common human condition, I realized what sort of benefit Classical studies can offer. I share my personal experience because it lets students know that there are opportunities for enlightenment if they persist in their studies. Unfortunately students may not continue past the elementary courses and the chance to work with more advanced and stimulating material. Telling your students that there are rewarding experiences if they continue can help motivate them to commit to their education. On the other hand I believe that sharing my experiences also helps me connect with my students. Rather than be a distant sage on a stage or a strictly professional authority figure, I want to show my students that I have sat at the same desk, completed the same homework, and I found something meaningful, timeless, and without borders which no one can take away from me.