My name is Tami Jahnke.  I was born in St. Paul, MN and raised in Cottage Grove, MN.  I attended parochial school until college.  I attended St. Andrew’s Lutheran Elementary School in St. Paul Park, which serves Pre-K through 8^th grade, and then attended St. Croix Lutheran High School in West St. Paul, MN.  The class sizes at both schools were small (30 students or less), which made my school experience unique and intimate because I was able to connect with all of my classmates and developed life-long friendships with many of them.

After high school, I was accepted at Winona State University in Winona, MN.  I have always had a passion to work with children, but I could not decide if I wanted to become a pediatrician or a teacher.  I decided to try pre-med first, but after a year and a half, I decided it was not for me and entered into the teaching profession.  It was the best decision I made!  I loved having the many opportunities to go into classrooms and teach various subjects to students as well as gain more experience of teaching young children.

After entering the teaching program at Winona State University, I found myself to be much more passionate about my work and became more involved with volunteering.  Many professors encouraged students to join mentoring programs or tutoring programs.  I volunteered for the Miller Mentoring Program, which serves middle and high school age students in the Winona Public School District.  I developed a strong, positive relationship with the student I mentored and continued to mentor her when she entered high school.

I have also had many wonderful field experiences.  Every course gave me the opportunity to go out into schools and practice what I was learning.  I had three major placements for field experiences.  The first was at an elementary school where I interacted with first, third, and fourth graders.  The second placement was at a Christian preschool where I put my knowledge of teaching into practice through creating and implementing lessons appropriate for the age and setting of the school.  My final field experience was in a toddler room.  It was a truly unique experience for me, because teaching toddlers is completely different from teaching four-year-olds or school-age children.  The lesson plans had to be very simplistic (i.e. reading a book as opposed to reading and discussing) and they needed to be short so the children would not stray from the project.

Through these three main experiences, I discovered that I enjoy working with children of all ages.  Going into the education program, I planned on working with children in second grade or younger.  However, my experiences with older students made me realize that it is just as fun, exciting, and engaging to work with older students as it is younger students.  Through these field experiences, I have also learned that lessons should be presented in many different ways, depending on the age level and the knowledge level of the students.  I have learned that teachers need to know their students’ strengths and weaknesses in order to be successful in teaching.

I chose the teaching profession because I have always held a passion to work with children.  In high school, I enjoyed teaching first and second graders in Sunday School, and teaching kindergartners and second graders during Vacation Bible School (VBS).  I love being able to help students grow in all areas of their development.  One of the greatest rewards of teaching is seeing a student’s face light up with excitement when they have discovered something new.  I love helping children discover their individual personalities and achieve their goals.

My goal as a teacher is to successfully prepare students for the future and to create a better society by encouraging positive and healthy behaviors in all students.  I want to encourage students to explore the world they live in and to pursue any and all dreams they may have.  Learning happens in stages and at various rates.  I will incorporate different styles and strategies into my lesson plans to maximize student success.  I hope to be able to reach out to every student and help them discover their talents and gifts.  Overall, I want students to have the highest quality of education so they can lead successful lives.