Carly Eifert

Master's of Urban Education Portfolio

National Louis University, Chicago and Academy for Urban School Leadership

Background

I was born and raised in Urbana- Champaign Illinois. In 2010, I received my Bachelor’s of Arts in secondary social science education from Illinois State University. My student teaching experience at Illinois States was in a private catholic high school. I feel in love with teaching during this time and knew that this was what I wanted to commit my life to. However I also knew that although the private school was a wonderful experience, it was not the setting I wanted to stay in. After graduation I moved back to Urbana Illinois and began working as a teaching assistant at a school located in a residential treatment facility. All of the students I worked with were children whose parents had lost custody of them. Along with learning disabilities these student also had many behavioral problems that hindered their success in and outside of school. It was working in this environment that I decided I wanted to be at a school were students really needed me as a teacher. When I discovered the A.U.S.L. teacher residency program I knew that working in Chicago’s high needs schools. This portfolio depicts my year long journey through the A.U.S.L. teacher residency program where I taught 11^th and 12^th graders United States History at Chicago Academy High School.

Teaching Philosophy

Fredrick Douglas once said that it is easier to build strong children than repair broken men. This quotes speaks to the incredible urgency there is to improve our nation’s schools. However, it also alludes to the ironic simplicity of how good teaching will lead to the success of those being taught. I believe that all children, regardless of background or circumstance, have the moral and civil right to learn how to become productive members of society.

As productive members of society we all have certain obligations to uphold, but it is in my opinion that teachers have one of the most important jobs of all. Teachers are required to shape the minds of young people and prepare them for the real world with all its trails and tribulations. As a social science teacher I have an advantage over many other subjects because of how all-encompassing the social sciences are. I am able to utilize the benefits of the social sciences as a subject to excite my students about their education. While teaching history I have the ability to show my students where they come from which can in turn provide them with a new found identity. Helping my students become aware of the past can influence their possible accomplishments in their future. By teaching young people the importance of the social sciences, emphasizing social and civic awareness, and creating a community in my classroom, I am able to find my students’ highest potential, and help them realize it as well.

Young people need to feel that they have the opportunity for success in life and that they have the necessary tools to do so. Teachers have the job of instilling knowledge in their students and demonstrating that they care about their futures. By showing the significance of history in my student’s lives, passionately promoting civic ideals, and creating a supportive community of learners, I emphasize the individual potential of each student and help them apply it to a broader spectrum of possibilities.

Eleventh grade United States history students at Chicago Academy High School

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

- Nelson Mandela

Ms. Eifert's Teaching Portfolio

Teaching Philosophy