My name is Kayla Stockton, and I am an aspiring high school English teacher and current graduate student at Georgia State University. I received my Bachelor’s degree in English from GSU. My favorite English subjects include: World Literature, American Literature, and African Literature. I also have a strong interest in creative writing and have published several poems.
I didn’t always know I wanted to be a teacher, but I always knew I wanted to work with children. My childhood was very difficult and I firmly believe I have only made it as far as I have because I had teachers, counselors, and administrators that supported me along the way. I want to pay that forward as much as possible.
I always preach the importance of building relationships with students. Every teacher I have ever admired had two things in common: they cared about teaching, and they cared about me. Me the student, not necessarily me as an individual, but they cared about the success of the students that sat in front of them. While there are certain approaches to teaching that I admire and relate to more than others, ultimately, if my teacher had a clear investment in their students and in spreading their specialized knowledge they were a successful teacher. That is the kind of teacher I aim to be.
When I did decide that teaching was a career path I was interested in, I was overwhelmed with how much I adored it. By far the best part of my job is working with students. I know it’s cliche, and I know every teacher in the world says this, but watching someone’s face light up when they click with an idea or a concept is fantastically rewarding.
My first stint in the classroom was as an intern teaching assistant for an English 1102 class at Georgia State University, under the tutelage of a former professor. It was one of the most challenging things I had ever done at the time but I learned more than I will ever be able to express. That experience solidified my desire to become a teacher.
My next experience was in tutoring a middle school student with one of my classmates. I faced an entirely new set of challenges, but I also was able to develop a much closer relationship with my student than I did with the college students. That emotional connection solidified my love of teaching.
Now, working in a high school classroom, I feel that I have the best of both worlds. The literature is challenging and enjoyable. The assignments are more complex. Yet, I am still able to build long-lasting relationships with hundreds of talented and wonderful kids.
The shining beacon for me as a student was always my English classes and the wonderful English teachers I had. English is unlike any other subject; there is often no one way, no exact answer. We felt free to talk without fear of being ridiculed. In learning to closely read and analyze a text we learned more about ourselves, more about each other. We interacted with each other and shared our opinions that would spark another and another.
Perhaps I sound idealistic but, truthfully, literature connected us for a moment in time that may have unraveled the second we walked out of the door, but for those precious minutes we were in that classroom it felt like what learning is supposed to be. It felt like community. That feeling is what I desperately want to recreate for my future students.
Discussing literature is exciting and thought-provoking, particularly because there are so many opportunities for more than one view point to be considered correct which offers a chance for students to expand their perspectives. Due to this, I want to put a large amount of emphasis on cultivating an involved atmosphere for students; everyone participates, everyone learns, everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas.
Contact Information:
Email:
stockton.kms@gmail.com
kstockton2@student.gsu.edu