Skip to main content

My Story


 



Hello everyone! My name is Angela Diedrichs.
I am enthusiastic to begin learning about inquiry-based social studies and science with you. This topic is new to me, so I have a lot to learn. I'm currently working on earning a Master's Degree in Elementary Education with Initial Licensure and a CLD endorsement. 

I am currently working as an instructional paraprofessional at a suburban school.  My role has me in a kindergarten class serving 23 5 and 6-year-olds, including five who are MLLs. I love it! My mentor teacher, Ms. V, and I have been paired up for many years, and she is excited to mentor me and help me take this step toward becoming a licensed teacher.  

I have worked as a paraprofessional for many years. During the pandemic, I had a chance to act in the role of classroom teacher for a large portion of one school year. I admit the days were challenging- delivering lessons, reflecting on them, and adjusting the plans; keeping records and making sure everyone stayed on schedule. Yet, experiencing the chance to lead the class and finish the year with all of the students having made substantial growth, I felt a spark! Since the pandemic, I have not had the chance to experience being be part of  team lesson planning, reflection and analysis which is the creative side of decision making for students' success.  I miss it. When I was still considering whether or not I would going back to school, when during a summer outing, two teenage girls came up to me. The two expressed that when they saw me, they felt they had to tell me how much they loved when I had taught them and that I was one of their favorite teachers!  They were former students I had worked with at least seven years prior. Their gratitude and esteem was a conformation. These expeeriences are things that shape why I am finally taking the step to attain a teaching license. 



Comments

  1. Teaching Science and Social StudiesJanuary 26, 2026 at 7:54 AM

    Thanks, Angela!! I am really excited for you and for all of us to see your learning unfold through your Blog! I love the story about the 2 girls who inspired the spark for you. :-) Kimberley

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nice Try   This week, I have been learning about the 5E Model of Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning.  The 5Es refers to a set of 5 phases that teachers can use for an inquiry-based method of teaching. They are Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. These phases are not necessarily linear and can be incorporated within many content areas. There are many benefits for students and teachers alike. I think I have begun experiencing them personally. I can explain. The overarching task to complete for this class is to create and teach two Inquiry Lesson Cycle Plans- one for Science and the other for Social Studies. So, the professor set up the task for us to choose topics for each, including the Colorado Content Standards and Student Friendly Objectives. It's pretty open-ended.  Well, I spoke to my mentor teacher at my field placement and quickly came up with an idea for a science topic. We found something in the current curriculum that the teacher has used before. ...
Post a Comment
Read more
Week 3Primary and Secondary Sources 100th Day Celebration- Children dressed as centenarians. They were so cute! It was such a jam-packed day. In the morning, I helped assess students on letter sounds for the and cvc words. After recess, I continued until lunchtime. I put together some pictures on a slide show, things from 1926 to compare with today's things, the night before, inspired by this week's readings in chapter 5. " Students of all ages enjoy looking at photographs, which are perfect for introducing young children to the concept of primary sources (Kopp, 2010)." There was no time to share it. Fortunately, in the cafeteria, I had a chance to play some music from 1926. It was super noisy, but they noticed it a bit. We could have done a now-and-then lesson or compared now to when parents were in kindergarten. Kids could have explored by asking their parents and grandparents for mementos from the past. I assessed students and ran a station during the festivities....
Post a Comment
Read more