Kayla Carew's Teaching Portfolio

Throughout the course of the semester, each PLC group will read three YA novels. The first novel that my group is reading is titled  Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. The novel revolves around the life of "self proclaimed fat girl" Willowdean, nicknamed Dumplin by her mother. Willowdean is comfortable in her skin until she falls for Bo, a private school boy who she works with. As her positive self image begins to crumble, she distances herself from Bo and from her best friend Ellen. Willowdean's mother is known for running the local beauty pageant that captivates the town for half of the year. Although her mother never says she should enter the pageant, Willowdean decides to register in order to regain the self confidence she had before meeting Bo. The novel teaches adolescents to be happy in their own skin and that a good self image is important.  As of right now, we are currently through the first third of the book or so. Throughout the novel, strong connection

Video Summary: The speaker of the TED Talk on failure works for X- The Moon Shot Factory. At X, the goal is to uncover a huge problem, think of a radical solution, and then try to prove that you’re wrong. If you do the hardest parts first, it will keep you from hitting a dead end farther down the road. Discovering problems in a project sometimes puts in on a better path. For example, one team at X was working on a car that was almost in complete control and would only turn the power steering on if something went wrong. When the feedback came that this was a terrible idea, for drivers weren’t paying attention like they should have been, the team shifted their perspective and began working on a car that is in complete control. Screenshot from the video showing X’s thought process for projects Employees at X are rewarded and promoted if their idea fails in order for them to feel safe in failing. This idea stemmed from the consensus of being uncomfortable with working on risky pro

My name is Kayla Carew and I am a sophomore at Saint Michael’s College studying math and secondary education. I grew up in Jericho, Vermont, a small town twenty minutes from campus. My childhood was centered around my family and friends, so getting to know the people I come in contact with is very important to me. A fun fact is that I have a rabbit named Oreo who is house trained and who loves to explore his surroundings. This blog will serve as a place where I can document my journey to become a teacher. In the past, I tutored local high school students in various areas of math, but this semester I will be tutoring an ELL student in a formal school setting. The thought is both daunting and exciting. I want future teachers and my students to know that I am passionate about helping people learn and understand unfamiliar concepts. I want them to know that I am nervous to become an educator, and that I will strive to do my best. I’m looking forward to pursuing my career in education