Hello! My name is Anna Krasin. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Education and am working as a Kindergarten Paraprofessional. Last year, I was a long-term substitute teacher and I made the yearbook! Here is my picture! Naturally, I sent a photo to all my family members!
Prior to working as a full-time employee, I was a substitute teacher in the LPS district for close to 2 years. My husband and I have two elementary age daughters and a new puppy!
This year, I am a Kindergarten Paraprofessional and am completing my practicum while working in the classroom. We have 22 Kindergarteners, ages 5 and 6. More than half of the students went to preschool and arrived knowing their letters and numbers. Lessons are planned for students who need extensions and for those who need additional support. We have one student who is visually impaired, one student who uses a wheelchair and a communication device, and another student who has an IEP for a developmental disorder. The majority of our students come from middle-class, English speaking families.
After serving multiple long-term substitute positions, I had the privilege of seeing many lightbulb moments and moments of academic and social-emotional growth. While my experiences had their challenges, I found the whole endeavor worthwhile. I enjoy being a part of a professional community of educators who challenge and support me and who hold high expectations for excellence. I enjoy being in-service to my community and being a facilitator of knowledge as students learn new ideas and build upon prior knowledge.
My goals
The areas I will work on during this course are how to best apply standards when lesson planning, lesson planning in itself, especially when considering special needs or culturally diverse students, and how theory, or the science of learning, drives curriculum and teaching methods. Though I have created lesson plans in the past, I did not know how to directly relate them to standards or how to be mindful for students and their diverse needs.
Love this, Anna! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAnna, it's amazing that you have such an experienced mentor teacher.
ReplyDeleteI understand the "lightbulb moment" reasoning for becoming a teacher - that is one of the reasons that I want to become a teacher also.
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteIt’s great to meet you! Your dedication to education and passion for teaching really shines through in your post. Working as a Kindergarten Paraprofessional while completing your practicum must be such a rewarding yet challenging experience, especially with such a diverse group of students. It sounds like you’re making a meaningful impact in your classroom, and your collaboration with such an experienced teacher must be an incredible learning opportunity.
I love that you’ve already had so many “lightbulb moments” in your career—those are truly what make teaching so fulfilling. Your goals for the course are fantastic and will undoubtedly help you grow as an educator. The focus on incorporating standards into lesson planning and being mindful of diverse needs shows how thoughtful and student-centered you are.
Also, congratulations on making the yearbook last year! That’s such a fun milestone to share. Wishing you the best of luck with your Masters program and your classroom adventures this year! 😊