My name is Victoria Jones and I am a early childhood teacher. I was born and raised in New York, alongside two wonderful, inspiring parents, and two siblings. There is no doubt in my mind that my love for teaching was a result of my family. My mom's side of the family were no strangers to education. My mom's dad was an art professor at Michigan State University, among other colleges and my mom followed his footsteps and became an art teacher at the New York School for the Deaf. When I was a teenager, I decided to test out my passion for working with young kids by volunteering at a day camp, I myself went to as a child. I worked with twenty-five first and second graders for six weeks and sure enough, loved every second of it. Through out high school, I continued to work at the camp every summer until senior year, when I decided to work at the YMCA in my town as well. It was surely a different experience, but still, I enjoyed going to work every day and interacting with kids of all ages, all backgrounds, and all very different personalities. Thus, my direct admission into the School of Education as a Early Childhood Major came to no surprise to myself nor my family. My four years at Indiana University has definitely shaped me into the teacher that I want and hoped to be, today. I've learned many important skills and characteristics of a successful teacher and hope to put those to the test in a classroom of my own. My Pedagogical Beliefs As a teacher, I believe that individualism and accepting differences in the classroom is the key to a successful year. I will strive to meet the needs of my students and make sure that every lesson is accessible to all learning styles. As a teacher, I will strive to treat each of my students with respect and help them reach their highest potential. In my classroom, I hope to provide a safe space for students and make my classroom a community that they can truly thrive in. As a role model, I hope to express the importance of friendship, kindness, and acceptance to my students as well as teach them how to be the best version of them. The Use of Technology in the Classroom As a teacher of the 21st century, I believe that technology is a very important tool to use in the classroom. I hope to introduce new and innovative technology tools to my students by using creative technology tools in many aspects of my teaching. One of the huge advantages of technology is the wide variety of choices to pick from. I will be able to pick and choose technology tools that fit every "type" of student and see what works in the classroom and what doesn't. Using technology in the classroom is a learning experience for both me and the students. Each year, I will able to add more tools to use in my classroom and I hope to aid students in providing them numerous resources for them to use in the classroom as well as at home. Technology is a powerful tool in the classroom and I can't wait to use it to my advantage!