Like Captured Fireflies

In her classroom our speculations ranged the world.
She aroused us to book waving discussions.
Every morning we came to her carrying new truths, new facts, new ideas cupped and sheltered in our hands like captured fireflies.
When she went away, a sadness came over us,
But the light did not go out.
She left her signature upon us,
The literature of the teacher who writes on children's minds.
I've had many teachers who taught us soon forgotten things,
But only a few like her who created in me a new thing, a new attitude, a new hunger.
I suppose that to a large extent I am the unsigned manuscript of that teacher.
What deathless power lies in the hands of such a person.

--John Steinbeck

I created this portfolio as the culminating project for the Master in Teaching degree program at the University of Washington. The portfolio demonstrates my understanding of instructional strategies, learning and development, subject matter knowledge, planning and assessment, communication strategies, classroom management, adapting for differences, and the importance of respect for all learners and culturally responsive teaching. It is a tool for reflection on my experiences in the elementary Teacher Education Program as well as a document illustrating the core beliefs and understandings I bring into the classroom with me as a teacher. “Like captured fireflies,” the entries and artifacts in this portfolio illuminate for the reader the moments of success, challenge, interaction, and meaningful engagement in the classroom as they relate to the work of teaching and learning.