I graduated from Western Oregon University in 2022 with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in ESOL. To obtain my degree, I completed a practicum as well as student teaching. Student teaching gave me a great deal of experience working with students one-on-one, in small groups, and as a large group, all while under the guidance of an experienced teacher. After graduating, I taught full-time in my own 3rd and 4th grade blended classroom. During these years of experience as student teacher and in my own classroom, I was able to gain the tools necessary to effectively work with students in different settings (one-on-one, small groups, and whole group), scaffold and differentiate instruction, and assess student progress using formative and summative assessment techniques. I also developed and refined my skills in maintaining a healthy and productive learning environment during this time. After teaching full-time, I transitioned to substitute teaching due to changes in our family. This allowed me to maintain my tools as an educator and stay on the cutting edge of best practice in education. I gained skills that are unique to substitute teaching, such as quickly establishing rapport with students and making expectations clear in order to maintain the academic rigor while the regular teacher is away. These same skills have also been valuable in a tutoring position, as I have been working as a tutor since the end of the 2024 school year. As a tutor, establishing and maintaining rapport with students is necessary to foster confidence, independence, and academic progress. In my varied experience as an educator, I have gained a passion for addressing inequities in the classroom by differentiating content and providing small group and one-on-one help for students who need extra support. I believe that our primary role as educators is to instill in our students a love for learning, which will propel them much further than any single skill-building exercise would. Some of my favorite work in my own classroom was working with students one-on-one and in small groups to support them academically, build their confidence, and encourage them to take risks. As a tutor, this is my goal: to support students, give them the tools that they need to achieve, and celebrate with them as they build up the confidence to take risks and excel independently.