Hailey Morrison's ePortfolio
About Me
Hi! I'm Hailey Morrison (she/her). I'm 27 years old, and I was born and raised in Santa Rosa, California. I returned to school at Santa Rosa Junior College when I was 24 with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. Two years went by in a flash, and I graduated with an Associate degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences with Highest Honors. Getting my first degree was one of the proudest moments of my life.
I transferred to the Hutchins Liberal Studies program as a Track II (Teaching Preparation) student in the Fall of 2021, not knowing what to expect. I am fortunate to have experienced such a different approach to education, which has impacted my teaching philosophy. Growing up, I struggled with formal assessments and tests, so I'm grateful to have the opportunity to create a portfolio showcasing how much I have grown as a student, thanks to only one short year in Hutchins.
Impactful Texts
We do a lot of reading in Hutchins. While it's rare that I don't enjoy course texts, these were the most impactful for me.
One of my favorite books from We Hold These Truths (LIBS 304), and possibly my favorite from all of my teacher preparation classes, was Black Ants and Buddhists, by Mary Cowhey. Cowhey's book is about her "peace class," her 1st and 2nd-grade classroom guided by the principles of peace, inclusion, and social justice.
While we were only required to read a few chapters, I had to read the whole book. Cowhey had me hooked from the start when she detailed how she centers the Taíno people when teaching about explorers and the "discovery" of America. I also loved her suggestions about critically teaching the pledge of allegiance to young students.
Cowhey came to teaching from a nontraditional background as a community organizer. So her unique background resonated with me and undoubtedly influenced her choices as a teacher. My copy of this book is filled with page tabs, highlighter, and my thoughts in the margins. I would recommend this book to any future elementary teacher.
A Primer for Philosophy & Education, by Samuel D. Rocha, offers a philosophical perspective on education that separates it from the institution of education.
I read this book in my Schools and Society class (LIBS 312) during my first semester at SSU. This semester consisted of a lot of reflection on my own experience in school and how that would impact my teaching philosophy in the future. This book appeared to me at the best time and showed me that I wasn't alone in how I felt about education as an institution, what grades reduce learning to, and many other things.
Lies My Teacher Told Me (Young Readers Edition), by James W. Loewen and adapted by Rebecca Stefoff, offers a critique of how America's schools teach history and the history textbooks we use in a student-friendly way.
I love history, but I hated it in school! This book explained why and gave me a fantastic resource I may take sections from to use when teaching history in the future.
Little Big Minds, by Marietta McCarty, includes instructions on introducing the topic of philosophy to K-8 students while sharing stories of her own experience doing so.
I won't lie; I shed a tear or two reading this book when McCarty shared children's insightful and wise thoughts on many deep philosophical topics. This book solidified my view that we don't give children enough credit for what they can understand and their ability to be deep thinkers. I hope to implement some of the suggestions in this book in my future classroom.