Hello! My name is Monica Kohler and I am currently a senior at Virginia Tech, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a focus on Language, Literature, and Culture, as well as Pre- Education. My hope is to attend Graduate School in the Fall of 2014, and earn a Master's in Elementary Education. During my time at Virginia Tech I have discovered that my passion is service; I strive to make the world a better place every day by doing acts of service and kindness for those around me, as well as within my community.
My goal is to become an Elementary School teacher, with a specific interest in Kindergarten- 2nd grade. Through my experiences in the classroom with various volunteer opportunities, and as a Fairfax County Camp Counselor, where I worked closely with children of that age, I have learned that I can successfully communicate with young children. I created and implemented lesson plans every day, got the children organized into games, and supervised them during snack time, lunch time and various other activities. I handled disciplinary situations such as an argument between children, or a child not listening or following directions. I also gained experience working with children with special needs ranging from ADD and ADHD, to Asperger's, and high functioning autism.
These experiences have taught me that I want to spend the rest of my life teaching, and making sure that every child feels important, intelligent, and capable of achieving any goal they set for themselves. I have been incredibly blessed to have parents that completely support me, and provide me with all of the resources that I need to succeed. But, I know that there are many children out there who do not have these opportunities. I hope to be an inspiring teacher to the children in this country who truly need to be inspired. I feel that it is my duty to give back, and help every student that I can, and act as a steady supplier of hope and encouragement.
This website exhibits two of my deepest passions in life: service work, and distance running. My passion for service has opened my eyes to the educational needs in the world, and also to the ability that I possess to change the world. I believe that anyone can change the world if they set their mind to it, and I want to make sure my future students feel empowered, and brave enough to do this. Running has taught me that to be dedicated to something means to never give up, and that I can always push myself a little bit harder and find a little more strength. This drive is something that I feel can help me to inspire my future students, and hopefully is a trait that I can help to instill in them. I want to be a teacher who never lets her students give up, and always inspires them to be their absolute best.