About the teacher: Caroline Roland
Background
My name is Caroline Roland. I am a 26 year old Norwegian Elementary School teacher. I grew up on a farm in a Norwegian small town, and have lived my whole life in Norway, until I moved to California in the summer of 2019. I am currently a student at California State University, Northridge, pursuing my master's degree in Educational Technology.
I graduated in 2012, from a Norwegian High School called, Mandal Videregående Skole, in the town of Mandal. I continued my education at the University of Agder, where I earned my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. My coursework included two semesters of pedagogy and mathematics, and one semester of Norwegian language, religion, social studies and sociology. I began working on my master's degree, in Educational Technology, at California State University Northridge, Los Angeles, this fall.
My path towards becoming an engaged and dedicated teacher has not always been a clear course. I have always loved kids, and liked school, so I took a chance and applied for the elementary school teacher program. Since my first week of student teaching, my interest, engagement and love for teaching has grown as I've gained more experience and knowledge.
Teaching
I taught in a Norwegian Primary School for two years. During the academic year of 2017/18, I was a permanent substitute at Skarpengland Skole, where I taught various classes from grades 1-10. For the academic year 2018/19, I was the class teacher for the 4th grade at Byremo Barneskule.
Teaching philosophy
My philosophy about education is that all children are unique and diverse learners. They come from all different backgrounds, with different prerequisites and different ways of learning. I belive that a classroom where each and every student can fulfill their academic and social potential, starts with a safe environment. One can refer to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and see that there are four steps related to physical and mental safety that need to be fulfilled, before one can fully focus on self-actualization and learning.
It is my opinion that the first and most important step of being a good teacher, is to create an environment where students dare to be themselves and are not afraid to try and fail. Second, I belive it is important to adapt the children's educational needs. Which means that the teacher should provide an education and give tasks that challenge each student at their academic level. Third, I believe children are extremely smart and observant. It is therefore very important to be a good role model and "do as you preach". You have to show every child that you like and appreciate them for who they are, and the knowledge and experience they bring to the class. Fourth, a good teacher comes prepared to class and knows his or her subject. He or she has high expectation for all the students and strives to let the them shine. A good teacher should look for the students strengths, not their weaknesses.
