My name is Ryann Campbell, and I aspire to be the best teacher and inspiration

in my classroom each day. I teach 8th grade advanced U.S. History at San Tan Charter

School-Power Campus. I graduated from Arizona State University with my

undergraduate degree in Secondary Education-Political Science. After graduating, I

immediately went into teaching middle school social studies, and have loved each and

every new challenge my wonderfully complex students throw at me.

As a social studies teacher, I have a unique advantage when it comes to the

personal role I, and my content area, can take in the lives of my students. Everyday in

my classroom, I teach my students about the triumphs and struggles of individuals who

left a mark on our world. I teach them about world changers. My goal, as their guide, is

to authentically display the lives of these world changers in a way that allows my

students to see themselves in the figures we are studying. I want to open their minds to

the idea that they too will lead a life of triumphs and struggles that will be notable

enough to study one day. My desire is for my students to leave my classroom each day

with the confidence of becoming the world changers I believe they will become.

I believe that the classroom is the best place to begin a child's inspiration to

grow. As a teacher, my duty is to create a safe and open environment for my students

to walk into everyday. Once that has become established, I can start my job of

cultivating the young minds of our future. An important part of having a safe and open

classroom environment is so that students can feel comfortable and confident in taking

the material that I am teaching them, digest it, and feed it back to me in a way that

potentially will defy the norms of the content area.

 Technology has quickly become a vital part in our society and must play an

active role in classroom instruction; the immersion of my students in various forms of it

is crucial in order to keep up with our ever changing world. I choose to use technology

in very specific and controlled ways that allows my students to exercise its tools, but

also be able to differentiate when is best to go “old school”. Laptops are used on a daily

basis for assignment postings through Google Classroom, but handwritten notes are

encouraged. Smartboards are used to display lecture information, but active listening

and discussion required. I believe that technology, as useful as it is, must be properly

managed and integrated in impactful ways only. As a teacher, I want to encourage my

students to grow in hands-on, face-to-face, and interactive lessons with their peers and

community.

My school district has two main ethnic communities. 44.5% of the students in the

district are Hispanic/Latino; 43.5% are white; and 12% are another (San Tan Montessori

School Inc. District, 2019). Because of the two clear groups, my students need to fully

understand each other. Only 11% of the students in my district qualify for free or

reduced lunch (San Tan Montessori School Inc. District, 2019). Therefore, low income

family issues are not something I am dealing with on a daily basis. Because of this, my

students need to be aware of those less fortunate than them. It is important that they

step out of their comfort areas and not be sheltered in their own personal lives. Overall,

the biggest thing my students needs, based off the demographics listed, is for the

students to be socially and culturally aware of those around them. This can happen

through a multitude of channels within my own classroom. Because my subject area is

largely studying the lives and events of the past, I, as their instructor, can help guide

them into perceiving certain parts in ways that will allow them to see the good and bad

of how cultural and social awareness has been handled over time. Through the

community, I will be able to implement project-based learning plans that provide them

with the chances to practice this awareness in their everyday lives.

As a social studies teacher, I will not lose out on the advantage given to me

through my content area. I, as a vital role model in the lives of my children, will guide

them to explore and grow through the information in the classroom, in the community,

globally, but most importantly, in themselves.

References:

San Tan Montessori School Inc. District, 2019, ​Student Population by Race/Ethnicity

and Grade Level (Male/Female/Total)