About Me

Welcome to Become A Better Teacher.

I’m Lauren Maynard.

I’m a 3rd grade teacher in Phoenix, Arizona.

Why Become A Better Teacher

Since as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a teacher.  Not just any teacher though.  I want to be the best teacher that I can be.

But being the best teacher you can be isn’t about reaching an end point.  It is a constant process of reflection, learning, and growth that allows you to keep on becoming a better teacher every single day.

How You Can Join Me and Let Us Help Each Other

At Become A Better Teacher I reflect on my teaching in order to help me learn from my mistakes and expand on my successes.  But it’s not just about me.  It’s about you too!

By applying my reflections to your own experiences you can help yourself grow as a teacher.  By commenting on my posts and sharing your own reflections and ideas you will be helping each of us Become A Better Teacher.

I try to post at least one substantive reflection per week.  I also post links to interesting and useful resources as I find them.

Make sure you don’t miss any posts by subscribing to the RSS feed.

A Little More About My Path To Become A Teacher

I double majored in Liberal Studies (Elementary Education) and Psychology at San Diego State University.

I went to University of California, Berkeley for my Masters of Arts in Education and my Teaching Credential.

At UC Berkeley’s awesome Developmental Teacher Education program I had five student teaching placements over two years.

When I signed my first contract in the summer of 2007 I secretly hoped that my many degrees, multiple student teaching placements, and years of volunteering in classrooms would make my first year teaching easier than I’d heard it would be.  Wrong.  Last year was the hardest year of my life.  I spent most of my time just trying to survive.  But survive I did.  And I learned so much along the way.

While I know that this second year of teaching will be easier than last year I don’t expect it to be less work.  In fact I want to work hard.  My students deserve my best effort.

I hope you’ve found this brief introduction helpful.  Please consider subscribing to the RSS feed and come back often.

I’m looking forward to learning from each other and helping each other become better teachers.

Best,

–Lauren