All About Me, Kelly B.
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Hi everyone! My name is Kelly Barker and I am a 3rd grade Math and Science teacher at a school in Palos Hills, IL. I became a teacher because I love to learn and I love to help others. I have many great teaching friends and teaching role models, but the person who helped me realize my desire to teach is my mom. Growing up, I would spend summers helping set up her classroom, picking out decorations at the "teacher store" and always looking forward to my favorite part of summer: school supply shopping. It was only natural that when I started college, I pursue a career in Education. I graduated from Benedictine University in December of 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, an endorsement in Special Education (LBS1), and Minor in Psychology. Since starting to teach in 2020, I have earned my ESL Endorsement through Dominican University and am excited to finish my Master of Arts in Education later this year.
When I'm not grading papers or working on my own homework, I try to strike a balance between relaxing and keeping active. I love spending time in the kitchen and will attempt pretty much any recipe that my boyfriend or I find on TikTok or Pinterest. I also enjoy reading, listening to music, and practicing yoga. I was a college golfer during my time at Benedictine, so I also use playing golf (when it's nice out) as another way to stay active!
Social Media in My Life
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Growing up, I remember when some of the most current popular social media platforms were just getting started. As a kid, I remember that my parents did not want me to be on social media (Facebook was most popular with the people I went to school with) because they thought it wasn't something that I needed to be exposed to. As a result, I didn't create most of my social media accounts until I was well into my teens. While I do have social media, such as my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts posted above, rarely do I post on them. I do recognize that social media does have a large impact on my life, however, I feel that the things I need and want to share with the people in my life can take place on more of a personal level, rather than posting it for the whole internet to see. I would rather use these platforms to consume information, follow content creators I enjoy, or connect with my family and friends that live out of state.
Often, I think of how much social media is present in the lives of my students-- it's truly all they have ever known. On one hand, I understand that their exposure to the internet and social media is inevitable, but I will argue that my students (8 and 9 year olds) are probably seeing/hearing/learning things that they should not be at their age from social media because their media consumption is not monitored. That being said, I am hesitant but open to learning more about how to implement social media and other kinds of technology in the classroom. I know there are many great tools out there that I can use to help enrich my students' learning experience, I just have to take the jump and be brave enough to try! :)
Great to meet you, Kelly. Oh, how I miss the excitement and the thrill of the teacher store!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your perspective and explaining your relationship with social media. It's always nice to hear how others interact (or don't) with platforms and what they use them for.
Looking forward to learning with you!
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ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly! I really liked reading about your experiences. We share many things in common. When I was a young girl, I also enjoyed school supply shopping. I was extremely organized with my supplies.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you explained both perspectives on social media. I understand the power and benefits of social media in classroom. For example, I would love to create a Twitter account to communicate important information with my students and colleagues. Also, learn from other teachers. Thank you for sharing your experience with social media.
Hi Kelly! It is nice to meet you. I love your experience of growing up and looking up to your mom as your biggest teaching role model. I bet she is a great resource and support system for you as you begin your teaching career.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to social media, you and I have very similar perspectives on how we use it. I also rarely post on mine. I do like how you described your presence on social media as being a consumer. I would also fit into that group as well. I am also hesitant to bring social media into my middle school classroom, but I hope from this class we can learn ways that we can use these platforms to support and engage our students.