TARA SHERMAN

8th Grade English Teacher | Cultivating classroom community and critical thinking skills.

ABOUT

I'm entering the field of education with the knowledge of how powerful it can be-- it was for me.

I work to be a creative, empathetic educator with an eye to the most updated research and best practices for the classroom to serve the WHOLE student. I passionately want every student to have the same impactful experience, and to be held to the same high standards, regardless what they bring when they walk into the classroom. Finally, I strive to build a classroom culture where students both learn from and support each other every day, becoming self-directed learners alongside a community of peers.

Want to know more about me? Click here.

Want to know more about my educational philosophies? Keep scrolling to read about classroom priorities, or click here to learn more about curricular focuses.

CLASSROOM PRIORITIES

Knowledge for Every Level

COLLABORATION

Have you heard the axiom, "Three men make a genius"? What about "None of us is as smart as all of us"? Every student brings unique skills, experiences, and attributes to the classroom. An important part of my job is guiding students to support each others' learning, bringing their own unique gifts and strengthening each other's.

COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY

It's 2019, and as the world changes, so does its demands on our minds. The way student learn, the way everyone reads and writes, evolves quickly. We do, too. It's important for students to develop the ability to switch between different modes of thinking, developing skills in each along with meta-cognitive awareness so that they'll never become stuck in one kind of thought.

COMMUNITY

Students learn where they feel connected. There are up to 40 individuals in any one classroom community, and it's absolutely vital that those 40 people-- not excluding me-- understand that they more things in common than not, can all learn from each other, and can expect to treat each other and be treated with kindness and respect.

CREATIVITY

Creativity is infused in the classroom: from writing to thought and intellectual risk-taking to varied modes of student expression. Furthermore, it is an important part of content delivery and making curriculum exciting, accessible and relevant to students.

PUBLISHED WORK

Writing About Education

REVIEW: ESSENTIAL READING FOR NEW ENGLISH TEACHERS

March 28, 2019

Published on MiddleWeb. Review of The First Year English Teacher's Guidebook: Strategies for Success by Sean Ruday and published by Routledge/Eye On Education, 2018.

UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITIES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS AT WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY

April 29, 2014

Collaborative sociological research into the experiences of first-gen college students. Findings emphasized the importance of social network supports for students without cultural capital of multi-generational college education.