About Me

Hello world and welcome to my blog! My name is Caroline van Roon, 21, and I'm currently in my third of four years of ITEps, or International Teacher Education for Primary Schools located in the Netherlands.

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a teacher; in fact, my mother always jokes that I came out of the womb wanting to teach! But for me, one of the most impactful moments that shaped my passion for teaching came from my struggle to read. When I was in kindergarten, I can clearly remember my teacher pulling my twin sister aside, opening up a special drawer filled with Magic Tree House books, and explaining to her that she was now able to read these books, since she was "so advanced for her age." I immediately became jealous of her, as she was not only able to read these cool, new and exciting books, but she could actually read! Me, on the other hand, was still very much struggling with the whole 'reading' aspect that comes with reading. In an effort to appear like I was able to read, I would try to memorize the simplest of books to read aloud to my parents, who were not at all fooled by my attempts to "read."

My difficulties with reading continued through my next school year and into the following year, when all of a sudden, it clicked! I can't remember how or when exactly, but suddenly I was reading big chapter books that I never could've imagined reading! Now, I had access to endless worlds filled with countless characters to travel with on quests and adventures; previously, it had been quite the battle for me to want to pick up a book and read, but now, I had a hard time putting them down!

While I have always appreciated that moment when reading "clicked" for me, I've also come to respect all the hard work done by my teacher to get me to that point. From helping me find books that interested me so I'd want to read to working through every line of reading with me, it truly impacted me. Now, I have a deep love for reading and consider it as one of my hobbies!

After experiencing that moment when everything finally "clicks," I've wanted to help facilitate that joy and feelings of pride in students through my teaching. Knowing how it felt to be compared to my sister and other classmates has also instilled in me a valuable lesson that impacts my teaching: everyone learns at their own pace. With both of these aspects in mind, I strive to cater to the needs of my students of varying levels while also working hard to facilitate the "click" that comes when a student grasps a new concept. I do this by setting teaching goals that I want to help students to reach within their Zone of Proximal Development, which involve's a student's ability to learn something new with guidance from the teacher, to put it simply. By keeping this in mind, I am also able to acknowledge when certain expectations are unable to be met for some students, and that new expectations should be created instead. 

As a soon-to-be educator, I have always been quite interested in special education, as it's known in the US, where I'm from. In high school, I volunteered at an organization for children with Down Syndrome and volunteered as a peer mentor for students with disabilities as well. In doing so, I was able to see first-hand the importance of inclusion in education, as I not only helped my fellow students but also benefited from working alongside them and learning about their viewpoints.

This has led me to my current elective of Inclusive Education, in which I will learn about the different ways in which I can strive for inclusion in my classroom. I have also been greatly impacted by the injustices and inequalities that I grew up surrounded by and learning about; as a teacher, it is imperative that I create a safe space where all students know they are safe and free to learn and express themselves.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading (I am nearly finished with reading A Promised Land by Barack Obama, which I highly recommend), crocheting, traveling (my latest trip was to Malawi to visit a friend!), baking, drinking boba tea and visiting my family dog, Lizzy (oh, and my family members too!).