JENNIFER SOUTHMAYD

13 Oak Knoll Drive | Wallingford, Pa 19086 | 610 986 9584 | jsouthmayd@gmail.com

PERSONAL STATEMENT
Hello, my name is Jennifer Southmayd and I would like to take you on a stroll with me to
discover my philosophy of education. Prior to delving into my personal beliefs, I think it is
crucial to identify how I came to be known as Ms. Southmayd to my fourth graders in West
Chester, Pennsylvania.
From a very early age I always had the desire to help others. Throughout high school I
began to tutor students at the elementary and middle school levels and felt a passion for
encouraging and assisting others to succeed. This desire led me to the Schreyer Honors College
at The Pennsylvania State University, where I earned a degree in Early Childhood Education and
a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. During my time at Penn State, I spent a
semester studying abroad in England where I gained the opportunity to explore the English
school system and bring their techniques back to school here in the United States. When I
returned to Happy Valley, I applied and was accepted to the Professional Development School
within the College of Education. The PDS program offered a full year internship with an
elementary school in the State College Area School District. This non-traditional student
teaching opportunity further clarified my desire to become an educator. Upon graduating in May
2014, I accepted a fourth-grade teaching position at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School
within the West Chester Area School District. After completing my first year of teaching, the
lifelong learner within me yearned for more knowledge. This leads to my current adventure,
which has me pursuing my masters degree in Educational Technology at the University of
Michigan-Flint.
As a lifelong learner, I have found that I am and always will be seeking ways to refine
my craft. As I continue through my own education I have narrowed the fields of importance that
most greatly shape my classroom, and those factors include: classroom management, curriculum
and academics, school and family relations, and the social and emotional development of the
student. I believe it is all of these different factors that when combined, form the classroom that I
so desire. These fields of importance have the power to make a learning environment be a place
of warmth, cohesion, learning, development, growth, and maturation. Perfecting these fields is
what will contribute to the most effective learning environment and learning activities for the
student, whom is the primary reason I teach. These fields also lend themselves to teaching to the
whole child. As an educator, it is my responsibility that students not only learn the mandated
state standards, but learn critical thinking, manners, collaboration, and kindness before they leave
my classroom to move on to their next adventure. As an educator, I am not teaching to a test, but
rather teaching to sculpt children into the people society will want to lead our future.
In regards to this future, I find it necessary to ensure that my students are taught within a
st
21 century classroom to match the 21st century world we live in. Technology plays an integral
role in our students lives outside of school; therefore, we must not exclude it from our learning
but rather integrate it in a natural and effective way.
Ultimately, educators must be knowledgeable regarding the impact they can have and
how to best use the tools and resources available to ensure each student is given the greatest
opportunity to grow, mature, and experiment with his/her own education.