1. Who Am I? Deborah (Debbie) Jackson

2. My Family I am married to Leroy. We have a foster daughter and five grandbabies. We also have our hairy children, Chewy and Little Bear. My husband and I have been together since 1999. We enjoy wildlife and zoos. We are in the process of settling into life in North Dakota and embracing the changes it has made in our lives.

3. My Goals  The next step in my professional goals is to take my praxis exams and to seek student teaching opportunities required for licensing in North Dakota. (In Georgia there was no student teaching requirement for Master’s Degree Holders and I am just beginning to learn about the requirements in ND.)  Once I have met the legal obligations of teaching within the state, I will look for a teaching position. I hope to work with grades one, two or three. I believe that students perceptions of learning and school have to built on a strong foundation, that recognizes the individual as valuable resource to establish teaching methods.  After gaining experience teaching in the classroom, I would like to become a Reading Specialist and work with children who have differing learning styles and abilities to help them master reading throughout the curriculum. I believe that teaching should stem from love of content and the expectation that all students are capable of attaining growth and that all students need support to reach those goals in a way that addresses their learning style, speed, and attitude.

4. Benefits of the MAED  The courses in the MAED program have been helpful in that they provide more practice and in –depth examination of practices. It allowed for more time to seek and understand teaching concepts. These programs have seemed more directed at practice surrounding teaching theory.  One of the things that I have found most difficult within the program is learning to use various computing programs. I do not have as much experience with social media and how to create ways to express my ideas. I have overcome these issues by playing with different types of media and their uses in the classroom.  I have gained much more experience with formulating lesson plans while making sure that each student is valued and is taught in ways that they are able to understand and learn.

5. Quote Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin (Brainy Quotes.com)

6. References Franklin, B., (2015) Brainy Quotes.com http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors /b/benjamin_franklin.html