My name is Kristina Smith and I have been teaching for about 18 years. I taught first grade for eleven years, and kindergarten for five years, in the US and internationally. I also taught adult English in China. I have become successful at using various strategies to teach young students to read. I know how to embolden students to raise their confidence in addition to their reading skills.
I have experience teaching ESL in Kuwait, China, Morocco and Paraguay. I know how to break down English so that it's understandable to the learner, while building up confidence to give them the strength to power through difficult reading material.
I have extensive experience teaching students how to read. I have taught phonics to young learners so that it's not overwhelming for them, and then build on that with fun phonemic awareness activities. I bring it all together with relevant, true to life reading and writing activities, such as Mother's Day cards or letters to grandma and grandpa. I found the more I make it personal for them, the more interesting and fun it is for them.
I am an outstanding educator because of my classroom philosophical beliefs. Whereas each classroom setting and students are different, I believe the true goal of education is the realization of human potential. I truly believe every student has the potential to bring something unique and special to the world. I help my students to develop their potential by believing in them as capable individuals. I assist them in discovering who they are, so they can express their own opinions and nurture their own ideas. I have a vision of a world where people learn to respect, accept and embrace the differences between us. I believe this to be the core of what makes life so fascinating. This is what living and working in diverse communities throughout my life has taught me. This is the philosophy I embrace as the core standard in my classroom.