杰出的人: Graduate Draws on Theater Experience for Teaching Job

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发布于2024年10月16日

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# MyFirstJob is a series focused on recent graduates of the 十大玩彩信誉平台.

Dominique Garcia-Hopper began studying drama at the 十大玩彩信誉平台, but found her way into the 教育与专业研究学院, where she was named the outstanding student in elementary school 教育.

Now she teaches third-graders at Saraland Elementary School, where her theater background 帮助学生专注于他们的课程.

“With the attention span of children today, you have to be able to keep them entertained,” 说Garcia-Hopper. “It’s almost like I’m 教学 in a play, where you want them 要成为角色，你需要他们扮演特定的角色. 没有第四堵墙，我们 所有这些都在一起，这有助于参与.”

她 decorates her 教室 with colored lights and arranges desks in small groups. 不那么正式，更有趣，更有效. 有时候她的教育剧更像是 一个音乐.

Garcia-Hopper and her 学生 share a motivational routine where they sing “Ain’t 没有足够高的山.” At the end of the school day, she plays an old NSYNC song: “拜拜，拜拜.”

A first-year teacher, Garcia-Hooper is getting more comfortable and confident in the 教室.

“Saraland has a lot of young teachers, so you don’t feel out of place,” Garcia-Hopper 说. “老老师也不把我们当新人看待. 他们对 我们的想法和我们对事物的看法.”

Garcia-Hopper, 22, grew up in Gadsden, Alabama, where she played sports and explored 戏剧和社区剧院. 从《十大信誉彩票平台》（many Ado 十大玩彩信誉平台）开始，她都出现在舞台上 “没什么”到“小美人鱼”.”

在 fifth grade, she remembers getting special encouragement from one of her teachers.

“One day, she pulled me out in the hall and 说, ‘You’re different,’” Garcia-Hopper 回忆. “她 说, ‘I’m going to push you a little harder this year because I know 你可以做得更多.“我有时还会想起她.”

As a teenager, she began working for a company called Once Upon a Time Parties. 她 做了兼职公主. 她甚至还在路上表演.

“I got to do events in Birmingham, Atlanta, Dallas — all over the 南,” she 说. “I played characters like ‘Moana’’ and Jasmine from ‘Aladdin.“这很有趣.”

Playing those characters helped pay for her tuition and expenses at the University 南阿拉巴马州. 她 wanted to go away to college, but not too far from home. 移动 符合要求.

Garcia-Hopper joined Chi Omega and lived in a sorority house on campus. 希腊的生活 这是她大学生活的重要部分吗.

“你离一切都很近，”她说. “你就在校园中央， 所以你知道发生了什么.”

在 教育与专业研究学院在美国，她上课并做学生教学. 她的作品并非都是小学的 教育. 她的导师之一是Dr. 布里奇特·伯勒尔教授特殊教育 在从南方退休之前.

“她 was really intentional with her 学生,” 说Garcia-Hopper. “她的心态 was that they could do everything, and she demanded nothing less.”

As a senior, Garcia-Hopper printed up resumes and attended a job fair for 教育 学生. 在那里她遇到了Dr. 萨拉兰小学校长斯坦·斯托克利 谁问她优秀学生奖的事.

“Then he asked if I could come to an interview the next day,” she 说. 我照做了。 and we talked some more, and he offered me a job on the spot.”

Garcia-Hopper’s mother is a former teacher who supported her move into 教育. 她 offered real-world experience and practical advice, as well as a second set of 手.

“她 made the curtains for my 教室 and helped me organize things,” her daughter 说. “你知道的，就是那些你需要妈妈来做的事情.”

加西亚-霍珀经常早出晚归. 她还在学习 教学. There are always papers to grade and lesson plans to prepare.

“My brain really never stops thinking about this job,” she 说. “有很多 times at home in the evening when I get an idea and do research about things we can 在教室里做.”

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