Emily Stiffler Email & Phone Number

My mission as an educator is to ensure all students are given an equal opportunity to learn and thrive in the educational world. I strive to prepare all my students for life after school, and through their experiences I hope to mold them into lifelong learners. I am a hard-working, driven individual that is very passionate about learning and making the world a better place. After getting my bachelor's degree in public health at Eastern Michigan University, I knew I wanted to work with kids, so I began working as a substitute teacher to gain that experience. As a result, I fell in love with the school environment and decided to pursue teaching. I was accepted as a master's student into the University of Michigan School of Education in January 2020 under the Elementary with Master's and Certification (ELMAC) program. This program is a one year in length intensive program that focuses on three essential and equally important pillars: 1. teaching practice, 2. content knowledge for teaching and learning, and 3. a set of ethical obligations. The program focuses on 19 high-leverage teaching practices that can be leveraged across content areas and contexts that effectively lead to student learning. My student teaching experience was spent in a third-grade classroom at Pittsfield Elementary School located in Ann Arbor. We spent a majority of the year engaged in online learning, with the remainder of my time spent in a hybrid setting. I effectively learned how to teach in both settings with great ease, and saw tremendous gains in student learning along the way. I am expertly skilled in using technology as a way to engage and assess students in their learning, as well as to navigate the most effective ways to convey content. Throughout my experience I was able to design an entire government and civics unit around central questions such as; "Can kids change the world?" and "What does it mean to represent people in government?" These questions drove the learning of my students to begin to notice and name how systems of power in the United States can be handed to citizens who are active and engaged. For the final project, I asked my students to write a script and create a video of themselves speaking out about a public issue that they feel is important, and why they have that opinion. The level of engagement increased by 50% due to the project's level of involvement and choice on the students' behalf. It is hard to put into words the level of excitement I saw in my students' eyes. I look forward to speaking to you more about my experiences!