My name is Emilie Vancelette. I am a single subject candidate in the teaching credential program at the School of Education at CSUSM for both English and Social Studies. I graduated Cum Laude with a BA in English and Gender and Sexuality Studies from the University of California, Riverside in 2016.
I was born in San Diego, California and have lived here all my life. I love living so close to the beach, even though I never go often enough. Family means everything to me; I have three older sisters and four of the sweetest nieces you'll ever meet. I enjoy lame jokes, caffeine, reading beautiful literature, and browsing Pinterest. I also have a great fondness for Autumn, sewing/crafting and going antiquing with my sisters.
If you couldn’t tell already, my eventual goal is to become a teacher- it’s something you could say is in my blood. Education is basically the family business. Both my parents taught for many years- preschool and the in USMC respectively- and all of my sisters and their spouses are or have been teachers, too! A healthy respect for education and a love of learning were instilled in me at a young age, thanks to my family, and their influence has led to my career goal: becoming a high school educator.
My educational philosophy is somewhat mixed, but primarily I lean towards Existentialism. This means that I find the individual student to be most important. To a reasonable extent, students' choice is more important than social institutions or rational theories. A second philosophy that I find myself drawn to in education is Reconstructionism; those involved in education, specifically teachers, have such an important role in the future of our world. The mission of an educator isn't just to pass along information or content, but to help in the transformation of society. Educators have such a unique and valuable position in young peoples' lives. This role is one that should be used to advocate for social justice in the classroom- but more importantly, outside the classroom, in the real world.
I have had some fantastic teachers of my own who made an impact on my life and nothing would make me more proud than to be able to make a difference in students’ lives the way my past teachers have made a difference in mine.