About Me

Welcome to my Capstone Portfolio. My name is Alanna Pihl and I am a senior at Wheelock College. During the spring of my senior year of high school, I decided to attend Wheelock College because of their outstanding educators program and also because the college had a field hockey team. Growing up in the small town of Franconia, New Hampshire, where everyone knew everyone else, I was a three season student athlete who adored her teachers. During high school when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to study in college, I remembered the positive experiences I had while in school. I attributed many of my successes to my teachers and coaches, and decided that I wanted to help children succeed in school just like my teachers had done for me. 

When I entered my freshman year of college, I decided to join the field hockey team because I enjoyed the team building experiences that sports gave me in high school. I hoped that this would also apply in college, and it certainly did. As a student athlete I learned how to manage my time, work as a team member on the field and also in the classroom, and what the word responsibility meant. What I learned from my four years of experience in college athletics is that goals are much more attainable when team members share a similar objective. This also applies to academics and the work force. 

During my pre-practicum and full practicum I experienced what it means to be a team player inside a classroom while working with another adult. My pre-practicum at the Manning School in Jamaica Plain solidified my knowledge of what a team looks and functions like. In addition to myself, there were two head teachers, a paraprofessional, and another student teacher in the third grade classroom. As a team, we worked together to give our students a support system and a classroom environment that would be conducive to learning.

My full time practicum took place at the Runkle School in Brookline, Massachusetts. There I was able to use what I knew from sports about leadership and bring it into the classroom. Some qualities that all leaders encompass are responsibility, commitment, selflessness, and compassion. I showed these qualities throughout my practicum at the Runkle School with the guidance of my supervising practitioner Jay. Throughout the semester I co-taught with Jay and led science, reading, writing, and math lessons. For my take over week I was responsible for the learning and safety of all nineteen students in my fourth grade classroom. Being a leader within in the classroom is something a teacher must be to ensure the safety and well-being of all her students.

 

Beliefs about Teaching

• I believe that parents and teachers are in a team in children’s learning.
• I believe in a holistic approach to teaching.
• I believe in student centered learning.
• I believe that every child should be able to learn in an anti-racist and anti-bias environment.