My name is Faith Mitchell. I have been a CPS educator for 15 years. What I love the most about this work is the opportunity to encourage students to recognize the power of learning. It’s the greatest reward to watch students discover what they are passionate about, or to be a part of the process when students’ light bulbs go off as they realize they understand a new concept.
What I like the most about the TutorMate program, is the one-on-one time students receive from their very own personal tutors. Each child looks forward to the extra special attention they get from the tutors. Their faces light up when the phone chime begins letting us know it’s someone’s time to learn or show off what they know.
As a reader I have so many favorites. My favorite children’s book is the Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle, who champions the idea of being content with who you are. For adult reading, my favorite book is Ronald Takaki’s, A Different Mirror. I am a history buff and learning about the story of a variety of cultures arrival in the United States, helps me to explore and understand the significant contributions of so many to our country.
I have the privilege of working with 29 busy little 1st graders. I teach from the perspective that reading can take you anywhere, and that great readers can become experts at anything. I have students who walk into my classroom, as nonreaders, emergent readers, struggling readers, and strong avid readers. No matter what stage they arrive I encourage them to set goals that motivate them to push themselves to learn something new everyday, even if it isn’t from me. Overtime they look forward to reading and sharing their new understandings. I tell them that they can learn even more from each other than they can from me. I want them to know that I am not the gatekeeper to knowledge, and that they have access to far more information than I can share. So when I kneel beside them to hear about a BIG word they read on their own, an insect’s capabilities, how tornadoes are created, or how a character reminds them of someone we learned about from another book, I feel so much joy in knowing the seeds have been planted, and all I have to do is watch them grow. Harte school is nestled in the heart (no pun intended) of Hyde Park, Chicago. Harte is a neighborhood school that boasts a staff who aims to reach students at every level of learning. We are a small but mighty staff that encompasses well over 100 years of combined experience. By being surrounded by this level of expertise I work hard to do my part in preparing younger students to embrace a great educational experience in the years to come.