Hello, my name is Kristen Nortillo. I am an Indiana University Graduate with a degree in Secondary Social Studies Education. I have always loved being involved with students and have wanted to pursue teaching ever since I was young. I fell in love with social studies in my junior year US History class and I have been actively pursuing social studies and education ever since. I believe in the power of social studies to teach students about our past challenges and struggles in order to best equip them to be leaders and changers of the future. I believe in the power of education to change the life of a student, and my goal is to strive, everyday, to be a better educator than I was the day before. Outside of teaching, I love to learn and am always looking to increase my knowledge. I enjoy many activities, probably any activity that is outdoors. I love to hike, bike, swim, camp, you name it! I love traveling and hope to go to each continent some day. My favorite things to do in my down time are read, play with my dog, and spend time with my friends and family.
My teaching philosophy comes from a desire to enrich, support and prepare students inside and outside of the classroom. I believe education should be interactive and engaging for all students while preparing them to be civic minded individuals who embrace equity, diversity, inquiry and inclusion. As an educator, I am actively working to prepare students in such a way that they are enriched both academically as well as personally while being responsive to the needs of all learners. I believe learning is so much more than studying for a midterm, but actually inquiring for knowledge and wanting to become educated is a passion that I think students need in order to succeed. I strive to help give students this passion. I hope that students walk away from my class feeling like they did more than just turn in some papers, but that they felt like my class really educated them on things they found important that they will carry with them even outside of the classroom.
These days, the use of technology is only growing in the education field. My goal for technology in the classroom is to incorporate technology in a resourceful, useful manner in which students feel that they are learning more effectively and efficiently. I am very conscious of my usage of technology in the classroom because I know it can be a distraction, and so therefore I will be very careful with what I pick and chose to implement into my classroom. I will do my best to pick technology that's main purpose is to effectively teach students material and I am excited for the possibilities new technology will bring to the learning that happens in the classroom.
My teaching philosophy comes from a desire to enrich, support and prepare students inside and outside of the classroom. I believe education should be interactive and engaging for all students while preparing them to be civic minded individuals who embrace equity, diversity, inquiry and inclusion. As an educator, I am actively working to prepare students in such a way that they are enriched both academically as well as personally while being responsive to the needs of all learners. I believe learning is so much more than studying for a midterm, but actually inquiring for knowledge and wanting to become educated is a passion that I think students need in order to succeed. I strive to help give students this passion. I hope that students walk away from my class feeling like they did more than just turn in some papers, but that they felt like my class really educated them on things they found important that they will carry with them even outside of the classroom.
These days, the use of technology is only growing in the education field. My goal for technology in the classroom is to incorporate technology in a resourceful, useful manner in which students feel that they are learning more effectively and efficiently. I am very conscious of my usage of technology in the classroom because I know it can be a distraction, and so therefore I will be very careful with what I pick and chose to implement into my classroom. I will do my best to pick technology that's main purpose is to effectively teach students material and I am excited for the possibilities new technology will bring to the learning that happens in the classroom.