Personal+Story+of+Change

__PERSONAL STORY of CHANGE: __

**__//2009-2010 Albemarle County Mission://__** **[|"Establish a community of learners and learning, through rigor, relevance, and relationships, one student at a time.]"** **A mission I felt was necessary to question, even as a first year teacher, in a county-wide professional staff development day. which occurred during a conference session meeting at Monticello High School, facilitated by the assistant-superintendent, as well as former and current administrators,a discussion that was a seed that would eventually grow.**  **I continued echoing and reinforcing the mantra in** **my classroom and programs by establishing AUTHENTIC-RELATIONSHIPS with our children, first and foremost!** **Observing, over time and relating to personal experiences, children's initial difficulty learning as a general lack of connectedness &** **comfortability with teachers, who may struggle to bridge gaps and make a connection. Unfortunately, this has potential to diminish opportunity for optimal learning experiences for students to engage in. Usually, this decreases motivation, increases a lack of confidence, depending on resiliency- a lack of trust in the provider or the structure of the environment festers.**

**I experienced research correlating teacher accessibility, expectations, disposition, motivations, nervousness and openness exemplifying the profound impact on student acheivement. From a previous career in entertainment and mental health** **to my training in practical engineering concepts such as, heat and energy transfer and conservation of energy laws, I was able to have the necessary "ripple in the water" to create change!**

**Presentation archive including Superintendent Pamela Moran** ** Archiveof Conference Presentation **

**Since that initial question in the Monticello High School auditorium, the mission is now in proper order...** = = __**//2013-2014 Albemarle County Public Schools://**__ **[|"The core purpose of Albemarle County Public Schools is to establish a community of learners and learning, through relationships, relevance, and rigor, one student at a time."] **
 * Spending time at Charlottesville High School in the Spring of 2013, I was able to utilize the (AVID) class to assist in the process of transitioning first-generation seniors to college, assisting in breaking the class record for college acceptances. I also assisted in modeling online portfolios in the (AVID) classroom. Collaborating with administration, whose intention for online portfolios included implementation as a graduation requirement, we brought productive outcomes, which had the opportunity for school analysis, assessment and evaluation methods. **