ABOUT ME
Hello! My name is Caitlan, and I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Growing up in a unique city has connected me to the wealth of culture it has to offer. It has exposed me to the beauty and strength that lies in diversity, and taught me the importance of having an open mind.
I hold a Master of Arts in Teaching and multiple subject teaching credential from the University of Southern California. I have five years of teaching experience in kindergarten and transitional kindergarten at Andasol Avenue Elementary, a local community school, and Title 1 Elementary School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
During my time with LAUSD, I had the opportunity to receive extensive training in programs such as Orton Gillingham, 95%, Heggerty, CKLA/Amplify, Heart Words, DIBELS, UFLI, and CGI Math.
Additionally, I am experienced in setting and meeting rigorous academic and behavioral goals, having worked at a California Distinguished School that successfully closed the achievement gap. I have many hours of professional development, strengthening my skills in differentiating instruction, such as providing instruction for Emergent Bilingual students and mainstreaming special education students. I also hold many hours of gifted/talented training to address the needs of gifted students.
My strength lies in my extensive experience in early child development education, and I currently hold a Child Development Site Supervisor Permit. I have over fifteen years of leadership experience in child development, including non-profit work, childcare, and preschool instruction.
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy centers around fostering equitable learning experiences, care, and the growth mindset. I believe that students learn best in supportive environments that challenge and encourage active classroom participation. To ensure equitable learning experiences, I choose to employ teaching practices such as cultural responsiveness and student centered instruction. I see building strong relationships with both students and their families and creating a classroom community together as the cornerstone to growth. Classrooms that foster these relationships promote deeper student engagement and learning.
I see the classroom as a space in which students learn to respectfully negotiate and learn from one another’s differences. It is a place in which educators can empower students to see challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than failures. The classroom should be a place where students can learn the effectiveness of a good strategy and the reward of a strong effort. We can set our students up for success by leading instruction with self-reflection, assessment, and differentiated curriculum.
It has been my experience that taking the time to set up a space in which students feel valued and safe has a tremendous impact on engagement. Children need tools to navigate not only academia but their social and emotional experiences as well. I am a strong advocate in the power of providing students with strategies to help keep them on track, whether it be study strategies, self-regulation tools, emotional supports, or practical resources. As I move into my teaching practice I hope my students develop a strong sense of self-efficacy and independence in my classroom.
Lesson Plans
Story Elements
Kindergarten
The focus of this lesson is for students to retell familiar stories through written compositions. Students practice a range of reading and writing strategies as they gradually learn to identify basic key story elements (characters, setting, and plot). Students will learn to utilize these elements in their own written compositions.
Community Helpers
Kindergarten
Students research community helpers as they work to identify the tools and characteristics of each. Using grade level social studies texts students synthesize information onto a graphic organizer and engage in a whole group discussion.
The Wind
Kindergarten
Students learn about the wind by making predictions of the wind’s effects using small classroom items. On a windy day students test these predictions, completing an observation log with a partner. Students then make more predictions based off their findings through depictions and simple sentences.
Animal Field Guide
Third Grade
Students research an animal of their choice using credible websites and texts in order to create a field guide that includes the animal’s traits, habitat, appearance, status, fun facts and adaptations.
Commutative Property
Third Grade
As a whole class students demonstrate the commutativity of multiplication and practice related facts in array models.
Classroom Management
I adhere to two major schools of thought when it comes to classroom management. First, a classroom should be a positive and supportive community in which students hold one another and themselves accountable. Second, a successful classroom begins with clear expectations and consistent follow through. In applying these concepts, I also consider two levels of behavior management: the general class and individual students. In terms of general classroom management, I feel it is important rules are created together as a class. Class rules should stem from being safe, respectful, and trying your best. It is important students buy into the concept that this a shared space we are building together, to the benefit of all. Furthermore, it is crucial that students have access to a safe space within the classroom, a “calm corner,” in which they are free to utilize a set of calming tools for a pre-determined amount of time. Moreover, the classroom should include a set of routines to create a safe and structured environment that children can successfully learn in.
In terms of more specific positive reinforcement strategies, the class will always be working on target goals--transitions, monitoring voice volume, participation and the like--resulting in specific rewards. Similarly, I utilize table points as an effective strategy as students then tend to hold one another accountable.
In terms of individual reinforcement strategies, I encourage all students to create personal goals for themselves. Depending on the need of the student, reinforcement of those goals could range anywhere from verbal praise to creating an individualized behavioral intervention plan. In the past, I have had great success with targeting specific behaviors using this method, whether in terms of increasing desired behaviors, like participation and completing work, or decreasing negative behaviors such as blurting out or throwing objects. Higher order thinking flourishes when a safe space has been created and cared for by a community of active participants.
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