About Me
My name is Rebecca Wittenstein and I am currently at Indiana University studying to become a high school social studies teacher. I discovered my love for teaching when my high school sophomore math teacher asked me if I was going into education. I had never considered it before and started to think it through. That, combined with my experiences as a swim instructor and Hebrew School TA, helped me realize that teaching is what I need to do with my life in order to make it meaningful. As rewarding as it is to have students understand concepts and show enthusiasm for what they're learning, there's more to teaching for me than that. I love getting to connect with young adults and I want to have an impact in their lives. I want to make sure that all of my students are happy, learning, and doing what they love in life. Having the opportunity to be a part of that success in their life is something I couldn't get anywhere else.
Outside of my education major I am also taking classes to obtain a religious studies minor. Wanting to be a social studies teacher, I love learning all about the world and the people in it; religion has been such a huge factor in human history that learning about it expands my world view and provides me with new angles to view history from.
I am a firm believer in students leading the lessons - my classroom should provide an education, not simply an instruction. I want to play the role of a facilitator: letting the students learn as much as possible, in the best way possible.
In my classroom I have one rule about technology: the students' education is the students' responsibility. I am here excited and willing to help, encourage, and hopefully inspire my students along the way; however, ultimately, it is their choice what they do with their time in my class. If they chose to be on their phones the whole time or use their laptops unproductively, that is their choice and they are still responsible for the content. In high school, students should have enough self control to know when it is time to put down the device, but they will have the responsibility to choose in my classroom. It is an important life lesson for them to learn about both technology and being present in life and I want to give them the opportunity to figure it out for themselves. I want them to want to learn, to see the relevance of what we're learning in their everyday lives, and to give them the tools to do that. In the end, I want to make sure that they are receiving an education that they care about, not instruction that they are forced into. I will do everything I can to make that happen and I expect the same from my students.
Outside of my education major I am also taking classes to obtain a religious studies minor. Wanting to be a social studies teacher, I love learning all about the world and the people in it; religion has been such a huge factor in human history that learning about it expands my world view and provides me with new angles to view history from.
I am a firm believer in students leading the lessons - my classroom should provide an education, not simply an instruction. I want to play the role of a facilitator: letting the students learn as much as possible, in the best way possible.
In my classroom I have one rule about technology: the students' education is the students' responsibility. I am here excited and willing to help, encourage, and hopefully inspire my students along the way; however, ultimately, it is their choice what they do with their time in my class. If they chose to be on their phones the whole time or use their laptops unproductively, that is their choice and they are still responsible for the content. In high school, students should have enough self control to know when it is time to put down the device, but they will have the responsibility to choose in my classroom. It is an important life lesson for them to learn about both technology and being present in life and I want to give them the opportunity to figure it out for themselves. I want them to want to learn, to see the relevance of what we're learning in their everyday lives, and to give them the tools to do that. In the end, I want to make sure that they are receiving an education that they care about, not instruction that they are forced into. I will do everything I can to make that happen and I expect the same from my students.