My name is Melissa Schlegel. I am a Daemen College graduate with a Bachelors of Art in English-Adolescent Education (7-12). I also have three minors in French, Philosophy, and European History. I began my educational career at Daemen with the intent to become a Physical Therapist. After some time, I realized that my passion lied not in the healthcare field but in literature and teaching. My goal in becoming a teacher is to create in my students a love for reading and writing. I want to teach my students the importance of classic literature and that reading can be fun. We can all connect to literature on some level, and I hope that I can help my students develop that connection and relationship to text. I also want my students to understand the significance of proper grammar and writing techniques. Students need to understand the importance of written works and that the way one writes can effect the way that they are perceived in the world. It is my desire to create a classroom environment in which the students have structure but also feel comfortable to discuss literature, their personal connections to text, and to share their writing to become even better writers.
My classroom management philosophy most closely aligns with Harry Wong's methods. I feel strongly that there needs to be 3-5 rules clearly visible to all students. The students need to understand that if any of the rules are broken, there will be consequences. I also strongly believe in having set procedures for all classroom activities. Having set rules and procedures helps the students feel more comfortable, and they know exactly what is expected of them. These elements lead to a more conducive classroom for learning.
My ultimate goal in becoming an English teacher is to teach students to appreciate reading and writing. I want them to see my passion for my work and hopefully encourage them to be life-long readers and writers.