Welcome! Akwaaba! Meet me, Mrs. Steele.
I have always known that I wanted to spend my life as a teacher (as well as a tornado chaser and a pediatrician at one point). However, I know that this is the right profession when every Monday morning I am excited to come to school. Because I grew up outside of Traverse City, I am incredibly excited and blessed to teach at EMS and honored to give back to a community that has given so much to me. Being a teacher has allowed me to explore, laugh, learn, cry, and do amazing things with kids and young adults. I cannot wait for the many more fabulous years that will make up my teaching career!
My Education
I attended 2 years of college at Alma College while playing soccer for the Scots. I then transferred to Central Michigan University. I was very active at CMU as a member of the National Science Teachers’ Association (NSTA) and the Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC), as well as a member of CMU’s club soccer team, an America Reads tutor, and an AmeriCorps member. I graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Education, an Integrated Science major and a Language Arts minor. After a college career filled with lots of hard work and dedication, I graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors. My Teaching Career I had the unique opportunity of having a two part student teaching experience. I student taught at Long Lake Elementary with veteran teacher, Linda Melvin, and an incredible bunch of third graders. While teaching at Long Lake, I took pleasure in participating in the school’s Cultures ofThinking Initiative with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Teaching at Long Lake allowed me to see first hand the great things that can be accomplished when a school works together in the best interest of its students,and I believe that this is a direct reflection of TCAPS as a district. I look forward to another opportunity to work for Traverse Area Public Schools. The second part of my student teaching experience was spent teaching a diverse group of children in Tema, Ghana. I lived in a SOS Children’s Village (an orphanage), while teaching science to 190 fourth and fifth graders in classrooms with more than 40 students. This experience helped me become a more innovative teacher as I had to be flexible and creative when designing hands-on science lessons with very few materials and resources. When I wasn’t teaching, I was playing with the village children. In those 8 weeks, I lived and breathed children and I was the happiest I have ever been in my life. We played football (soccer), tag, learned Ghanaian games, taught each other cultural dances, and had many Q & A sessions learning about each other’s countries, beliefs, and feelings. From March through the end of the year in June 2010, I was a long-term guest teacher at Long Lake Elementary in Shelley Brown's 3rd/4th grade blended classroom. It was a great joy to again work with a wonderful group of kids. I loved getting to teach and have my "own" classroom. We had a ton of fun together! |
My Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy involves continued growth and development as a teacher, utilizing my role as a facilitator, providing student-centered learning and a community-centered classroom. My greatest strength as a teacher is my dedication to each child and my ability to make each child feel valued, supported, and an integral part of our classroom community. I use positive reinforcement and always look for examples of childrens' success. Furthermore, I succeed at establishing committed relationships with all members of the school community. A Little about Me When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my new husband, Graydon (we got married over the summer), our adopted black lab, Charlie, and both of our families. If you do not find me in the classroom, I am probably doing something outdoors and enjoying all that northern Michigan has to offer. I enjoy Lake Michigan, fishing, star gazing, hiking, swimming, camping, kayaking, running, and playing sports. I also enjoy the fall (Halloween too), photography, painting, scrapbooking, traveling, cooking and reading. I am also a huge U of M football and Redwings fan. |