1. Rachelle Ryan EDU695: MAED Capstone Instructor: Tony Valley January 20, 2015

2. Who am I? My name is Rachelle and I am 29 years old. I have been married for almost 10 years now to my high school sweetheart Greg. I am mother of two beautiful children; Arianna who is almost 11 years old and Patrick who is 3 1/2 years old.

3. Where I am from? I am originally from Buffalo, NY about 30 minutes from Niagara Falls. We moved in 2007 to Raleigh, NC NC so my husband could fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot. In 2011, we moved to Charlotte, NC and finally bought our first home.

4. I have recently started a new job of being a Title 1 Tutor in an elementary school in Charlotte, NC for grades K-3rd. Also, the past year I was a part time substitute teacher at my daughter’s elementary school. I believe these two jobs will only help me gain the experience I need. Please let me know if there is anything else I could do to help reach my future career goals. Teaching Experiences:

5. My Hobbies: My family and I have a passion for traveling. My husband and I are lucky to be able show our children different parts of the world. I love to take my children to the beach, read, cook, bake, swim, take walks, and take bike rides. I love to be outdoors! My daughter and I run a different 5K each month.

6. Future Careers: I would love to become a special education teacher in the elementary schools. I want to help children who have a variety of different disabilities. I want to support these children be able to achieve their goals. Not only do I have a mild learning disability, but I grew up with my mother and older brother who have severe learning disabilities and dyslexia. They have inspired me to want to help other children be able to succeed. I would also love to become a professor for an online University.

7. Professional Goal: My professional goal is to take and pass the praxis special education teaching tests to become certified in the state of North Carolina. My MAED program has supported me towards this goal because the courses I have taken have given me the knowledge and skills needed to pass the required praxis tests.

8. Challenge The most influential design and developmental challenge I have faced in my coursework as part of the MAED program is finding time to complete assignments and the necessary components of school on top of family and work. I have learned to be more organized, by setting aside time to use specifically for school work. Moreover, I have learned to delegate tasks to others around the house so that I am not overwhelmed while I am working on assignments/discussions. Finally, I have realized that, above all else, I must prioritize my tasks so that my academic, professional, and personal lives do not suffer. Sometimes overcoming a challenge means working with the hand I was dealt. Problems may not always dissipate, so I must learn to work around circumstances.

9. The quote that symbolizes my belief about Framework for 21 st century learning: “When a school or district builds on this foundation, combining the entire Framework with the necessary support systems— standards, assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development and learning environments— students are more engaged in the learning process and prepared to thrive in today’s global economy” (Framework for 21 st Century Learning, 2011).

10. References: Framework for 21 st century learning. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/1.__p2 1_framework_2-pager.pdf http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/1.__p2 1_framework_2-pager.pdf Google Images