Teaching Experience and Philosophy Statement
"In my view, good teaching is really about helping learners frame good questions. If our teaching is focused only on providing content, students will use it until it is no longer relevant. But if we teach them how to find and frame critical and relevant questions to their own experiences, then we cultivate understanding, true learning, and ultimately an intelligent thinking citizenry." - Barbara Vacarr
I believe in student-centered education and self-directed learning in which student inquiry and discovery is at the center of learning. I believe in Socratic dialogue as a means to arrive at knowledge, a process in which discovering and asking questions is a catalyst for intellectual and emotional growth.
My teaching experiences have been varied and wide including being a member of the English cadre and co-department chair of the English department at my school. In 1998, I began working in the field of education; I tutored children ages kindergarten to twelfth at learning centers for a few years. Then, as I worked on my teaching credential, I was student-teaching at a public elementary school in Pasadena. Afterwards, I worked as an assistant teacher at Walden School, a private school in Pasadena. After working at Walden School for two years, I began my first gig with my own classroom - I taught eighth grade English at Harrison Middle School in East Los Angeles. This two-year long teaching experience proved to test my will and determination to continue in the field. It was here, working with kids who came from unstable family lives and neighborhoods where gang violence was prevalent, that I gained the strength and understanding that has helped me maintain a solid grounding throughout the years. I came to understand that what and how I teach needed to matter to these kids who face life and death situations daily and I needed to make that connection to help them see beyond the day.
I taught English at a high school in Los Angeles for five years and currently teach English and creative writing at a middle school where everyday I strive to maintain that delicate balance between lesson planning, assessment, classroom management while aspiring to inspire my students to think, learn and grow through reading and writing.
I received my Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing (poetry) at Goddard College where I gained a deeper appreciation for student-centered learning. I am interested in helping my students balance the study of craft with finding their passions and taking risks in their writing and thinking.
I believe in the importance of reading different genres. Poetry, fiction and non-fiction are often intertwined. I encourage my students to read a wide variety of books and to think as unique, creative readers and writers.
Related:
California Writing Awards, 2013 - Judge for student poetry submissions from California.
http://californiawrites.org/Students/students_writingawards.html
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers: "The American Voices Award" ("Best in Region"), 2012 - On the judging panel to nominate the top 5 works among the 16 highest scoring Gold Key works (from The Scholastic Writing Awards) in various genres.
http://www.artandwriting.org/
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers: The Scholastic Writing Awards, 2012 - Judge for poetry by students around the nation.
http://www.artandwriting.org/
California Writing Awards, 2012 - Judge for student poetry submissions from California.
http://californiawrites.org/Students/students_writingawards.html
California Writing Project (CWP) - "Call to Write: Writing Poetry to Remember and Make Change, Teresa Chuc." http://voicebox.nwp.org/iwritethefuture/discussion/call-write-writing-poetry-remember-and-make-change-teresa-chuc-dowell
California Writing Awards, 2011 - Judge for student poetry submissions from California.
http://californiawrites.org/Students/students_writingawards.html
CATE Convention, February 13, 2010 - Presented "the Architecture of Writing."
Los Angeles Writing Project, Cal State University of Los Angeles, July 7, 2010 - Guest speaker for the writing research groups.
California Writing Awards, 2010 - Judge for student poetry submissions from California.
http://californiawrites.org/Students/students_writingawards.html
"In my view, good teaching is really about helping learners frame good questions. If our teaching is focused only on providing content, students will use it until it is no longer relevant. But if we teach them how to find and frame critical and relevant questions to their own experiences, then we cultivate understanding, true learning, and ultimately an intelligent thinking citizenry." - Barbara Vacarr
I believe in student-centered education and self-directed learning in which student inquiry and discovery is at the center of learning. I believe in Socratic dialogue as a means to arrive at knowledge, a process in which discovering and asking questions is a catalyst for intellectual and emotional growth.
My teaching experiences have been varied and wide including being a member of the English cadre and co-department chair of the English department at my school. In 1998, I began working in the field of education; I tutored children ages kindergarten to twelfth at learning centers for a few years. Then, as I worked on my teaching credential, I was student-teaching at a public elementary school in Pasadena. Afterwards, I worked as an assistant teacher at Walden School, a private school in Pasadena. After working at Walden School for two years, I began my first gig with my own classroom - I taught eighth grade English at Harrison Middle School in East Los Angeles. This two-year long teaching experience proved to test my will and determination to continue in the field. It was here, working with kids who came from unstable family lives and neighborhoods where gang violence was prevalent, that I gained the strength and understanding that has helped me maintain a solid grounding throughout the years. I came to understand that what and how I teach needed to matter to these kids who face life and death situations daily and I needed to make that connection to help them see beyond the day.
I taught English at a high school in Los Angeles for five years and currently teach English and creative writing at a middle school where everyday I strive to maintain that delicate balance between lesson planning, assessment, classroom management while aspiring to inspire my students to think, learn and grow through reading and writing.
I received my Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing (poetry) at Goddard College where I gained a deeper appreciation for student-centered learning. I am interested in helping my students balance the study of craft with finding their passions and taking risks in their writing and thinking.
I believe in the importance of reading different genres. Poetry, fiction and non-fiction are often intertwined. I encourage my students to read a wide variety of books and to think as unique, creative readers and writers.
Related:
California Writing Awards, 2013 - Judge for student poetry submissions from California.
http://californiawrites.org/Students/students_writingawards.html
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers: "The American Voices Award" ("Best in Region"), 2012 - On the judging panel to nominate the top 5 works among the 16 highest scoring Gold Key works (from The Scholastic Writing Awards) in various genres.
http://www.artandwriting.org/
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers: The Scholastic Writing Awards, 2012 - Judge for poetry by students around the nation.
http://www.artandwriting.org/
California Writing Awards, 2012 - Judge for student poetry submissions from California.
http://californiawrites.org/Students/students_writingawards.html
California Writing Project (CWP) - "Call to Write: Writing Poetry to Remember and Make Change, Teresa Chuc." http://voicebox.nwp.org/iwritethefuture/discussion/call-write-writing-poetry-remember-and-make-change-teresa-chuc-dowell
California Writing Awards, 2011 - Judge for student poetry submissions from California.
http://californiawrites.org/Students/students_writingawards.html
CATE Convention, February 13, 2010 - Presented "the Architecture of Writing."
Los Angeles Writing Project, Cal State University of Los Angeles, July 7, 2010 - Guest speaker for the writing research groups.
California Writing Awards, 2010 - Judge for student poetry submissions from California.
http://californiawrites.org/Students/students_writingawards.html
