My name is Crystal A. Taylor-Simon. I have been teaching for 10 years. I have spent all of those years teaching, here, at Jones Senior High School in Trenton, NC. I did not start my career as a teacher but I intend to finish it as one. I am very passionate about what I do and I enjoy bringing the Spanish language and culture to the masses. My philosophy about teaching is simple…I call it the 3 Cs: Care, Coordinate & Collaborate. I care about my personal life, my students and my profession. I coordinate with all stake holders of education in order to plan successfully to deliver a quality education to those around me. Finally, I collaborate with my students so that I can learn about them and their goals. By following these steps, in this order, I am able to use the knowledge that I gain from my family, coworkers and students to reflect on my teaching practices so that I can be the best teacher that I can be.

Transcript of the Interview (PDF)

Jump to question:

1. Imagine someone visited your class several times, what would they say the principal teaching strategies you use are? Could you talk about teaching strategies you use that are universal, and as well as strategies are somewhat unique to you and your personality?
2. How do you organize your class to maximize learning opportunities for your students? How do you help them become better learners?
3. How do you differentiate instruction to meet the needs of students with special needs (EC, ESL, AIG, etc.)?
4. How do you know when learning is occurring and what do you do when you question whether learning is taking place in the classroom?
5. How do you “hook” a reluctant learner to your content?
6. If you were to give advice to a new teacher in North Carolina, what 2-3 learnings would you share?

Optional Material

The lesson, “Reflexive Verbs” that Mrs. Taylor-Simon presented may be viewed below.