A Bit About Me
My name is Henryetta Alexander-Wheaten. I am a prospective Secondary Education-Language Arts Teacher. I currently hold a B. A. Degree in English from the University of South Alabama. I am presently working towards my teaching certification. I have been writing for for nearly thirty years and my genres include nature poetry, essays, and mystery prose. I am an outreach evangelist at Christians united Church. I also work with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in the Delta Academy with girls ages 11 to 14. I enjoy working with young people and instilling in them a love of literature and lifelong learning. I have been married for 6 years to the Reverend Leonard E. Wheaten and we have two beautiful sons, Leonard Jr. who is 5, and Malcolm Maurice, who is 1.
More About Me
I am a senior at the University of South Alabama where I am majoring in both Secondary Education and English/ Language Arts. I want to become a teacher of English because I love literature and was raised with it as my mother was also an English teacher. I believe in instilling in young people a love of both literature and lifelong learning. I believe that every child can learn and that it is our responsibility as teachers to build their self-esteem and academic confidence through sound teaching.
I am a senior at the University of South Alabama where I am majoring in both Secondary Education and English/ Language Arts. I want to become a teacher of English because I love literature and was raised with it as my mother was also an English teacher. I believe in instilling in young people a love of both literature and lifelong learning. I believe that every child can learn and that it is our responsibility as teachers to build their self-esteem and academic confidence through sound teaching.
My Teaching Philosophy
Hands-On Learning
I am a strong advocate of hands-on learning. Lecturing is okay in its place as a teaching tool, but it can become quickly worn out. In the age of computers, video games, and "get it now", its hard to keep anyone interested in what you're talking about by just having them sit and listen to you. I have worked in education a long time, and I know that it has become a well established fact that when the learner becomes part of the learning process, information is retained longer and in more detail. Therefore, when I am teaching English/ Language Arts, I will remember that I am dealing with people--people who will get more out of a learning experience of which they are a part. That is why my intention is to use the "smart board", podcasts, Google Documents, group projects, rap sessions, and any other tool that I can think of to facilitate a more hands-on and involved learning experience for my students. I want my students to look forward to learning something new and to know that the appreciation for knowledge and love of learning should extend not only beyond the classroom, but also beyond English and Language Arts.
Podcasts as a Teaching Tool
As an English / Languasge Arts teacher, I intend to use podcasts as a teaching tool. Podcasts, which are audio and/or video productions posted on the web, are fun, inexpensive, easy to do, and allow students to have a hands-on experience with their learning processes. In doing podcasts, students get a chance to control the outcome of their productions, and they get to see the fruits of their labor on the internet and not as just words on a page. They become part of the creative process literally. This adds more meaning for them.
When I attended high school, we had to do group projects. In some cases, we had to perform these projects in front of the class. However, with podcasts, students of the computer age are creating and producing live feeds for the internet wherein their work can be more accessible and real to them. Their podcasts are also made accessible to students in other places by being on the internet. This approach to learning makes learning more relevant to to the English student and the experience more memorable. What were once readers and writers in the classrooms have become listeners and watchers.
When I attended high school, we had to do group projects. In some cases, we had to perform these projects in front of the class. However, with podcasts, students of the computer age are creating and producing live feeds for the internet wherein their work can be more accessible and real to them. Their podcasts are also made accessible to students in other places by being on the internet. This approach to learning makes learning more relevant to to the English student and the experience more memorable. What were once readers and writers in the classrooms have become listeners and watchers.
Why Teaching English is Important to Me
Eversince I was a young child, I knew what I wanted to be. My mother taught English at St. Elmo from 1958 to 1968. She instilled in me early a love of literature and learning. I became interested in the literary history of the language we speak and wanted to teach others to appreciate our literary heritage as well. My mother was a writer of poetry and prose, and I found my own voice in the fifth grade and have been writintg eversince. In our fast paced world of the here and now, we can sometimes lose the appreciation of our literary culture.. It is the influence of the written word that can often reintroduce us to ourselves and help us appreciate and understand each other even across cultural divides. Through literature, we often find similarities in the ways that we think and reason and believe. It is through this shared literary heritage that we can break down divides of misunderstanding, ignorance, and indifference and begin to understand one another.
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