Background:
I was born in Southern California, but was raised in Kennesaw, Georgia. I currently live in Kennesaw, GA with my cat, Mr. Mittens, and my puppy, Kevin. I got married this past September to my husband, Michael Punch. I have one younger brother, and a family that has always been close, valuing the love that we have for one another. I, also, have a step sister that is very close.
I am a Cobb County graduate, attending Bells Ferry, Chalker, Palmer, and Kell throughout my childhood. After I graduated Kell, I went on to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia College and State University, in 2013. This is my eighth year teaching here at Rocky Mount – I’ve taught grades K and 3rd. However, I did student teach in 1st grade and spent some supply positions in 2nd grade.
I enjoy hanging out with my friends, going to concerts, shopping, and traveling. Throughout my travels, I have been to many European countries, such as France, Italy, Malta, and Greece. Also, I have traveled to over half of the states in the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska. My favorite music is pop and country, making Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Demi Lovato, my favorite artists. In addition, I enjoy listening to Celine Dion!
Why I Want to be a Teacher:
Ever since I was a child I knew I wanted to teach and enrich young minds. I value education as one of the most important aspects of life. Therefore, I want to be apart of students’ lives and not only give them a great education, but show these young learners why education is so important. The early years of a child’s life is the most important and influential, so I want to be that role model for these younger students. I feel, if students do not have a teacher that not only is a role model, but also makes learning fun and important to the child, then they will not value education and not continue onto a higher education and become successful. I want to make this society better by educating more students and allowing them the opportunity to do well in life.
Teaching Philosophy:
The purpose of education is to provide students with experiences that expand their knowledge and promote creativity. As an educator, I will provide opportunities for students to share their creativity and learn by doing. Also, I will teach lessons that are more than just understanding different concepts and skills but also demonstrate the importance of being a good citizen. It is an educator’s role to teach and nurture the whole child. Also, it is my job to create an open learning environment that is student-centered. I believe that if the learning environment is not encouraging and friendly, the students will not feel comfortable. A learning environment must be comfortable in order for students to be willing to learn.
In order to reach each individual child, it is important to understand each students’ interests, development, and backgrounds. I will use the information gathered about each child to help form a relationship with him/her. I will also use my own personal experiences to relate to the children. In regards to diverse students, I will use how I felt as I have traveled to foreign countries to help me empathize with diverse students that are unfamiliar with the American culture. In addition, I will be sure to research the diverse backgrounds of my students, so I can better relate and understand them. Sharing the different cultures in my classroom through bringing in different speakers is also a way I will make the learning environment comfortable for all learners. It is important for all the students to understand their community of learners. By teaching them about the different backgrounds of their peers, they will become more accepting of the diverse students in the class.
Children learn through doing. Like Montessori and Dewey, I believe students need to be responsible for their learning and actively involved in their education. It is the teacher’s job to “light the fire” and provide the students with the opportunity to learn, but it is up to the student to become a continuous learner. I will be sure to offer support through teacher and peer scaffolding in order to push students to their zone of proximal development, so they can continue to learn.
My belief that children learn through doing will affect my teaching. I believe in a backwards curriculum design, where I will be sure to develop what I want my students to know, do, and be before I begin to plan. By understanding what I want my students to know, do, and be, I will provide lessons and activities to discover the curriculum. Therefore, I believe the best way to assess my students is through observation. Observation allows me to clearly highlight where misunderstandings are being made, so I can address them. However, I do believe in allowing my students to make mistakes and suffer the consequences. The students will never learn if I do not give them the opportunity to make mistakes.
The backwards design allows me to first determine the curriculum goals I hope to reach, and then plan the lessons and activities to meet the needs of each individual learner. Therefore, I will be sure to include a lot of differentiation into each lesson or activity, so that all my learners can successfully reach the curriculum goals. I will differentiate based on what I have observed throughout previous lessons or activities. Monitoring each of my student’s progress is essential in order for me to see what areas I need to address.
Nonetheless, education is not the teacher’s sole responsibility. Education requires reciprocal support from the community, parents, and other colleagues and administration. Therefore, I will be sure to incorporate different communal activities into my curriculum, such as field trips, speakers, etc. In addition, I will incorporate service-learning activities, so students can become involved in the community and understand the importance of giving back to the community. In regards to parental involvement, I will be sure to establish an open relationship with each of my student’s parents. This will be done through communicating often, sharing student accomplishments as well as concerns from both the teacher and the parents. Establishing a collaborative relationship between the parents and the teacher will assist in classroom management. Having the support at home to reinforce the importance of education and good behavior will most likely help students be better behaved and respectful in the classroom. Collaborating with other colleagues and administration allows for planning more meaningful instruction.
Miss Griscti’s Favorites:
Season – Spring
Holiday – Christmas
Food – Mexican and Italian
Restaurants – Moe’s and Buca Di Beppo
Candy – Sour Gummy Worms and War Heads
Fruit – Strawberries
Ice Cream – Black Raspberry from Bruster’s
Drink – Coke and Dr. Pepper
Children’s Author – Dr. Seuss and Audrey Penn
Movies – How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Cars, and Pirates of the Caribbean
TV Shows – New Girl, all shows on Game Show Network, Grey’s Anatomy
Cartoon Character – Mater from Cars
Scent – Sweet Pea
Designer – Tory Burch
Singers – Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Demi Lovato, and Celine Dion
Song – Too Many 🙂
Vacation Spot – Disney and Hawaii
Have Too Many…Tervis Tumblers
Never Has Enough…Purses
Wishes She…Liked Chocolate
Is Glad She Has…Great Family and Friends
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