Teacher- Student- Lifelong Learner
A place for learning, reflecting and growing as an educator and a student.
About Maura Ehrlich
I began my academic journey at Michigan State University in 2015. After 4 years of classes, education placements, personal growth and hard work I received my Bachelors in Elementary Education with a social studies focus as well as a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the spring of 2019. After graduation, I did my student teaching in a 2nd/3rd grade multiage classroom at Grayson Elementary in the Waterford School District. After my student teaching internship, I was hired as a 4th grade teacher in Northville Public Schools. This upcoming fall will be my fourth year teaching 4th grade.
I am currently pursuing my Masters in Educational Technology at Michigan State University. I will be graduating in August 2023 and I look forward to implementing technology in the classroom and learning how to create an equitable educational experience with education and technology.
Outside of school I love traveling all over the world, reading mystery books, cooking, being outdoors and spending time with friends and family.
Teaching Philosophy
As an educator, I believe in equitable education for all. I believe that it is my job to make education accessible for each and every student and support and challenge them as I see fit. I believe that it is my job to teach students skills that they need to be independent learners. I aim to give students the tools they need to succeed in life and teach them strategies that they need to cope, thrive and be successful in the world. I also believe that within my control, school should be a safe place that fosters confidence, mistake-making, motivation and a love for learning and exploring. School should be centered around the student and working with the student and their family for their success. Partnership with families, the community and the classroom is incredibly important for myself as an educator. Communication is key to making sure that everyone’s voice is heard.
I believe in using pieces of different learning theories to support my learners. I believe it is important to model learning to students to show them how to complete tasks and provide them with examples. I believe that students learn from each other, so using discussion, collaboration and group activities are a successful way to help students learn and grow. I also know that teaching in a culturally responsive way is beneficial to all students as they are able to see different perspectives and build more knowledge about other cultures. Additionally, I believe that constructivist teaching is important. Challenging students’ existing knowledge and schemas is important and providing them with information to accommodate and assimilate their thoughts and schemas. I also believe that student learning should be hands-on and allow them to physically build and show their knowledge and understanding.
I believe that student success goes beyond a test score, data point or standardized test percentile. Student learning can be measured in many different ways including observation, formative assessment, daily check-ins, exit slips and discussion. There is not one way to measure student understanding and there definitely isn’t a one size fits all approach to teaching. It is important to differentiate, modify, accommodate and make changes to help support all learners.
Teaching matters to me because every student should have the opportunity for an equitable, safe, nurturing and challenging learning environment. I want every student to have the ability to love learning and to find motivation at school. I believe that education is the foundation for the world we live in, and helping to create a space for students to learn, grow and reflect is important to me. I also believe that teaching matters because I am also learning from these students. Learning is a two-way street and I love having the opportunity to learn from these students. I am grateful for the opportunity to see the future of our world in my classroom and look forward to working towards being the best teacher I can be.
