Teaching Philosophy

I try to build lessons around problems students can recognize and decisions they can actually make. In my classroom, a lesson about budgeting might become a project in which students choose a career, research salaries, select a city, and build a monthly budget in Excel. A lesson about computer hardware might become a challenge to design a working computer within a specific budget. Students aren’t simply learning how to use a spreadsheet or identify computer components. They are learning to evaluate options, work within constraints, and justify their decisions.

I also believe students should have opportunities to create something of their own. Through Flo-Fly, a business I co-founded, I experienced firsthand the process of researching a market, developing a business plan, testing assumptions, and presenting an idea to people willing to challenge it. That experience influences how I approach entrepreneurship education. I want students to experience the process of turning an idea into something tangible, including the uncertainty and mistakes along the way.

Not every lesson needs to be a project. Students need direct instruction, demonstrations, and opportunities to practice individual skills. My goal is to connect those skills to something students can eventually do with them.

My time at Florida Scholars Academy at Ocala Youth Academy reinforced this belief. I worked with students who had very different academic backgrounds, personal experiences, and reasons for being there. Many arrived with significant gaps in their education. My responsibility was not only to teach mathematics and science, but also to understand each student’s goals and help them see how education could move them closer to those goals.

I learned that relationships are not separate from academic expectations. They make those expectations possible. I want students to know that I care about their progress, that I will hold them accountable, and that I will help them when they struggle.

Sometimes that means celebrating a successful presentation. Sometimes it means making a phone call home to share something positive. And sometimes it means taking the time to understand why a student has stopped trying.

Teaching in different environments has shown me that students do not all approach a lesson with the same knowledge, experiences, or abilities. At Ocala, students followed individualized academic paths, sometimes working toward entirely different standards in the same classroom. In Peru, I discovered that some women participating in my financial education workshops could not read. I had to rethink how I presented information and redesigned activities to be more visual, collaborative, and hands-on.

Those changes made the workshops more engaging for everyone, not just the participants who could not read.

These experiences have shaped how I plan instruction. I think about how students will encounter an idea, what might prevent them from participating, and how they can demonstrate what they understand. I want every student to have a meaningful opportunity to contribute, regardless of where they start.

In business and finance, a decision is rarely made with perfect information. Students need opportunities to test their assumptions, recognize when something isn’t working, and adjust their approach. I try to create that environment in my classroom.

Projects, practice tests, and regular feedback give students opportunities to see what they understand and where they need to improve before their performance really counts. I also encourage students to explain their thinking, not just provide an answer. Understanding why a decision makes sense is often more important than arriving at the correct answer.

I want students to leave my classroom willing to ask questions, consider alternatives, and learn from their experiences.

I use a combination of quick checks, practice assessments, and projects tied to specific skills. At Kanapaha Middle School, I built skills progressively throughout the year, with individual Excel assignments eventually culminating in a payroll register. Students also had opportunities to demonstrate their learning through industry certifications. In one school year, my students earned more than 150 Digital Tools certifications.

But I also pay attention to things that are harder to measure: a student who becomes more confident presenting, someone who begins connecting schoolwork to a career, or a former student who reaches out a year later to share that she is putting something we discussed into practice.

When students aren’t learning, I have a responsibility to examine my instruction and find a better way forward.

Ultimately, I want students to leave my classroom with more than the content of a particular course. I want them to have the confidence to make decisions, the skills to evaluate their options, and the willingness to take responsibility for their futures.

I hope they remember to question assumptions, consider different perspectives, and see mistakes as opportunities to improve. Most importantly, I want them to recognize that their circumstances do not have to determine their opportunities.

My experiences in Florida and Peru have reinforced the same belief: education can open doors when students have the support, knowledge, and opportunity to walk through them.

That is the kind of classroom I want to build.