This I Believe: My Philosophy

I always wanted to be a teacher. English was the perfect choice for me because I absolutely love to read and I love kids. (Good thing, considering my background stated previously). There are a few principles that guide my teaching and they're pretty simple.

• All children have potential. It's my job to figure out how to motivate them.
• Everyone has their own learning style. I must be able to provide ways for each child to learn so that he/she can be successful. 
• Learning should be fun for students but that doesn't mean it doesn't involve hard work.
• Teaching should be fun for the teacher but again, that doesn't mean it doesn't involve hard work.
• Teaching and learning should be challenging and involve lots of critical and creative thinking. We need to teach kids to think so that they can adapt to our ever changing society.
• My school's motto is "Be Creative, Be Collaborative, Be Conscientious, Be Committed." I believe they're good qualities to live by.

Finally, my beliefs lead me to my interest in instructional technology and digital media. As a teacher, I believe I need to challenge myself to keep up with twenty-first century technology. As an English teacher, the nature of much of what we read is being transformed. I want to learn more so that I can help my students be able to think critically and creatively in order to adapt to a world that is definitely changing, especially in the ways in which information is transmitted. 

Who Am I: A Little Background

Jody Ceglarski

I'm lots of things to many different people. I'm a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, a friend, and a teacher. I consider myself truly blessed with an amazing family and a job I love. Here's the short of it: 

• Daughter to Joan and Bob. They're both in their eighties, fighting a few medical battles but going strong. 
• Sister to my TEN siblings, who are scattered from Rome, Italy, to California, to New York, to Massachusetts, to Rhode Island, to Texas and to New Jersey.
• Wife to my amazing husband Mark.
• Mother to SIX children - all successfully (hopefully) grown up. I just saw a cartoon that made me laugh. "Now that I've ruined their lives, my job is done!" Well, I hope I haven't ruined their lives (just when they were teenagers), and my job is never really done! 
• Grandmother to THREE beautiful grandsons. (3 years old, and 2 11 month olds). When they visit, the house is hopping.
• Aunt to THIRTY-EIGHT nieces and nephews. It's hard to keep up, but they're all great.
• Friend to many.
• Teacher to hundreds of kids over the past 18 years. I've taught English in 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades (never 8th) and tried my best to share my love of reading and writing with kids.

A New Adventure

I'm a rookie blogger, but looking forward to giving it a shot. I'm starting a program in Instructional Technology and Digital Media. The best way to learn is by "doing"  (and by making mistakes I'm sure!) It will be fun - isn't that what it's all about?