My name is Amy Mastromonaco, and I am currently pursuing my Masters in Education from Dominican University of California while working as a substitute teacher in Marin County. I earned my Single Subject Teaching Credential in Biological Sciences from Dominican and completed my student teaching at Terra Linda High School in San Rafael, CA in Fall 2013. My goal as an educator is to foster a passion for learning and help my students develop the skills that they need to become independent thinkers. I try to accomplish this by connecting the material to my students' lives, thus making the curriculum more comprehensible, applicable, and exciting. I believe the classroom should be a safe and encouraging space, where students can expect to learn, engage, and be respected for their individuality and the diverse insights they bring to the class. My passion for science was fostered from an early age both in and outside the classroom. Growing up in Marin County allowed me to spend a great deal of time outside enjoying nature. The classroom facilitated an even deeper appreciation and understanding of science. At Redwood High School in Larkspur, CA, I was given the opportunity to further explore my passion for science through engrossing experiments and engaging teachers. I became particularly fascinated with the brain, and went on to study Behavioral Neuroscience at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. The goal of this website is twofold: it is a resource for my students and their parents, as well as a platform to share my portfolio to colleagues and potential employers. Students can use this website to turn in electronic assignments, to seek further resources to deepen their understanding of the content, and to print out notes, labs, or class work they may have missed or misplaced. Second, the Portfolio tab contains my resume, my educational philosophy statement, a unit design that I implemented during my student teaching at Terra Linda HS, and some of my graduate work from Dominican University. |