Welcome to Meet the Teacher – CodeMonkey’s blog segment where teachers from all over the world share their experiences on what it’s like being an educator. Today’s post features Kelsey Parrasch who is a 4th GradeTeacher at Eleanor Van Gelder School in Edgewater, NJ.
“I decided to become a teacher because I love to learn. As I teacher I get to spend my days learning with, and from, my students and inspiring a love of learning in them. I have such fond memories of my time in school and I love that I have the opportunity to give my students lasting memories.
I would consider myself to be a connected educator. In my classroom we are fortunate enough to have one-to-one Chromebooks, which allows my instruction to occur in a variety of ways. My students are often more engaged when technology is used. I love that my students have the opportunity to learn coding, master typing, and gain confidence by sharing their voice in a wide variety of ways. It’s important to me that my students know how much they matter and that they are capable of doing amazing things.
I absolutely feel that working with children gives teachers a unique perspective on the world. My students constantly inspire me with their enthusiasm and curiosity, and in turn, they’ve inspired me to approach the world in a similar way. They are seldom satisfied with a basic answer, continually questioning things until they have the understanding they desire. I also believe they have inspired me to be more imaginative and to look at things in more creative ways.
[Once piece of advice for teachers using technology for the first time is]…Don’t be afraid! Technology can be intimidating for teachers, but the results are well worth it. I encourage teachers to seek out others who can show them tricks and tools that they use. Slowly incorporating technology can help prevent teachers from feeling too overwhelmed.“
