Dane Redmond-Assignment 1A

Hello class!  My name is Dane Redmond.  I am from and currently live in Victorville, Ca.  Not exactly the gem of California, but I don't mind it too much.  I have been happily married for the past 4 1/2 years, but we do not have any children.  I graduated from Brigha Young University in December 2010.  I majored in Latin American Studies which led me to become a Spanish teacher. With my free time I enjoy cycling and racing when I have a free weekend to travel.  

I just barely finished my internship year and will be applying for my preliminary credential following the completion of this course.  I work for Riverside Preparatory Academy out of Oro Grande, Ca.  I taught Spanish 3 this last year and will be teaching that along with AP Spanish Language and Culture this next school year.  I excited and nervous about taking on AP Spanish as it will be a new course which I have to get A-G approved.  Should be a learning experience for me :)

I went into education for several reasons, but ultimately I kind of fell into.  Upon graduating college I wanted to go into federal law enforcement, more specifically Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Unfortunately that did not work out for me.  So, being that my mother, two brothers, 3 aunts, 3 uncles were all teachers, I figured I might as well give it a go myself.  I have really enjoyed this last school year as an intern, although it has been difficult.  I anticipate that next school year will have a whole new set of challenges for me.  Ultimately my passion for the Spanish language keeps me moving forward.  I enjoy teaching it and helping others understand it.  My background in Spanish comes from living in Puerto Rico for two years and doing a internship in the Dominican Republic. 

How did your personality affect your choice of content area?

You know, I'm not quite sure how my personality results reflect my choice of content area.  I received ISFJ.  I guess that fact that I enjoy walking around and keeping to myself and just watching how people interact and such really reflects my passion for culture.  I think to understand people and why they believe what they believe and why they do what they do.  Latin America is overflowing with cultural quirks.  I love it.

How does or will your personality affect your relationships with your students? 

I think my personality traits will help me maintain relationships, but make it difficult to initally develop them.  I'm not the type to go out of my way to introduce myself to anyone.  But once I get comfortable with someone I can maintain that relationship with carefully listening and thoughtful conversations.

How will your teaching and learning style affect your teaching and your students' abilities to be successful?

I scored moderate on all of the teaching styles except on formal authority I scored high.  I honestly am not quite sure what is event meant by formal authority.  I don't really view myself that way personally.  This past school year many students found success in my class while a few struggled and did not meet expectations.  I have a plethora of things I need to improve, but apparently being a formal authority isn't one of them.  I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing?