Hi! My name is Samantha McKinney. I am originally from Northwest Alabama, but currently live in Meridian, MS.  I have a B.S. Degree in Culinary Arts from Mississippi University for Women.  I love to cook, but I am ready for a new challenge.  I hope to have a family one day and the long nights and ever changing schedules will make it hard to put my family first. I also love to read.  I am a huge fan of Gone with the Wind and books relating to Henry 8th.

 I have always loved children and wanted to teach so I am now pursuing that dream. When I heard about the MAT-M program it sounded perfect for me.  It was online which was a major plus because I work over 40 hours a week and it concentrated on the age group I am interested in teaching.  I have always excelled in school and I hope to do so in this program. I also hope to learn how to be a great teacher.  I have had several amazing teachers who have impacted my life and I hope to be able to do this for the children I will eventually teach.

I hope to learn several things from this class including how to create a successful learning environment. I also hope to have a better understanding of how to make lesson plans and how to interact with diverse students and parents.

3 things I believe middle school teachers do that are beneficial to the overall learning  experiences of students:
1. I believe teachers help students make the transition to high school by making students be more responsible for doing their own work and turning in assisgnments on time.
2.  From my personal experiences with middle school teachers, they do a good job of telling students what to expect in high school and of letting students know what to expect when entering high school as a freshman at the bottom of the totem pole.
3. I also feel that middle school teachers do a wonderful job of working one on one with each student to help them on an individual basis.

3 things I believe middle school teachers do that are detrimental to the overall learning experiences of students:
1. From my personal experience in middle school, I felt that teachers did not spend enough time on grammar and reading becuase I have seen numerous students struggle in these subject areas.
2. I also feel that giving special privileges to students who are popular, favorites, or athletes is detrimental to other students and makes them not want to be in class or learn.
3. I feel that teachers often do not make assignments challenging enough.  I think sometimes assignments are not grade appropriate.

I hope to offer a different point of view to the class community because my education background is probably different than that of others because my B.S. degree was in Culinary Arts.