Valerie Ambrose

Electronic Portfolio

Biography: My name is Valerie Ambrose and I live in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  I actually grew up in Schuylkill County, where I graduated from North Schuylkill in 1998.  I attended college at Kutztown University and obtained a degree in elementary education in 2002.  I worked as a middle level teacher at a Lutheran School, teaching language arts, social studies, and mathematics.  I also taught in Allentown City School District as a fifth grade teacher, teaching all subject areas.  I finally settled at Slatington Elementary, which is part of Northern Lehigh School District.  Here, I teach language arts and mathematics to sixth grade.  Since I began teaching at Slatington, I have started taking classes again, through Wilkes University.  I am working towards my Master’s degree in Classroom Technology.

The mediocre teacher tells.  The good teacher explains.  The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires.  ~William Arthur Ward

Philosophy and Why I Teach: My passion for teaching comes from the love of helping others and being able to provide children with new knowledge.  I believe all children have the ability to learn anything if given the chance.  In my classroom you will see my students always on task and learning.  I provide my students with a variety of activities and strategies to keep them motivated.  You will see that my students have more time on task and less time under direct instruction.  More time on task allows me to help those students that are struggling with concepts.  I think that my students enjoy being in my classroom.  I create a welcoming atmosphere where students are not afraid to seek help from myself or others.  In my classroom, everyone works as a team and we encourage each other.  Kind words are always reinforced.  Good behavior in turn gets rewarded with individual rewards and group rewards.  It’s nice to see my students working cooperatively to achieve those rewards. While I obtain my master’s degree, I hope to provide my current and future students opportunities to use a variety of technology in the classroom.  Technology is an important part of education and students can really expand their knowledge with it.  My goal with my students is to have them leave my classroom with more knowledge and a deeper understanding of why it is important for them to learn the concepts, skills, and strategies that our teachers provide them with.

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.  ~Author Unknown

Professional Development: After obtaining my education degree, I had the opportunity to attend a variety of workshops and conferences.  Most of the workshops that I have attended over the past few years dealt with mathematics, since that is an area of concentration and I mostly teach math.  I learned a great deal of strategies, games, and activities to use in my classroom and share with others.  I have also recently been attending behavioral workshops that focus on behavioral RTI. 

Résumé

EMAIL:  vambrose@nlsd.org

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