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My name is Michele Paniagua and I grew up in Brentwood, New York. I come from an immigrant family and I am the first generation to receive a college degree. Education for me signifies power and freedom. There is wealth in knowledge and that it is why it is often gated. As an educator my goal is to empower students through education and knowledge.

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Resume 2023- Michele A. Paniagua Sanchez (1) (1) (1) (1)

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Every student should be able to see themselves in history. 

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Every student should be able to see themselves in history. 

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Education should provide a curriculum that is liberating. When I say liberating, I am referring to a pedagogy that includes multiple perspectives and identities aside from the dominant ones within our societies. Marginalized voices are often silenced by the dominant culture. For example, U.S history is taught from a Eurocentric lens, neglecting the inclusion or reducing the narratives of other people, such as Native Americans, despite history not occurring in an isolated vacuum. This exclusion sends out the message that non-Eurocentric history does not matter and/or is not part of American history, which is not the case at all. However, as a teacher we have the power to create effective changes within the classroom and impact many students’ lives. As teachers we have a duty to make our classroom an inclusive learning environment for all, and the way in which we can do that is by making our curriculum intersectional. This may look like discussing Native American’s culture, important leaders, and so on, rather than only focusing on tragedies like the Trail of Tears. When students are given the opportunity to learn through a curriculum that is representative and given the space needed to think freely, they become empowered. It is through that empowerment that teachers can cultivate students to think outside the constricting boundaries of society.

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Teaching brings great rewards, but it would be a grave error to ignore the stress that accompanies the profession. It is easy to fall into despair when expectations feel overwhelming and therefore, having a strong social network and time to reflect is important. I found that an essential part of growth development is being able to reflect on successes and failures, so that our actions can be guided by evidence. Collaborating with other teachers also allows for further guidance and comfort in knowing that you are not alone.

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Whalen Symposium Finalist 2019
H&S Summer Scholar Recipient 2019
New York State Sociological Association 67th Annual Meeting

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Class should be a place students can show up authentically. 

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Class should be a place students can show up authentically. 

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Students need to feel safe before they can learn and that is why I believe building rapport with students is essential. Students should be able to show up authentically into the classroom and to do that I have to create a space that welcomes vulnerability. One way I welcome vulnerability is by presenting myself as a human capable of mistakes. For example, I am not afraid to struggle pronouncing words when reading or admitting that I do not know something. Oftentimes, teachers are viewed as these authoritative all-knowing beings, and that can be intimating for learners. Furthermore, I am not afraid to be silly while teaching because I believe learning should be a fun experience that is joyful.

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Provost‘s Art exhibition 2018

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Provost‘s Art exhibition 2018

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What is the culture of the school and what does that mean for my teaching? What does my classroom look and feel like?

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What is the culture of the school and what does that mean for my teaching? What does my classroom look and feel like?

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Standard #3: Learning Environments. The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice. The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration. The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.

Each school is different with their own set of values, goals, and vision for education. To be of service, I need to find a place where I can show up authentically, bring all my gifts, and feel supported. In order for me to do that, it is essential that I know who I am as a person, so that I am aware of the kind of presence I bring into a classroom. It would be unethical to walk into a classroom without an awareness of my values, beliefs, and goals because my job, teaching, grants me with the power to shape young minds. I believe standards 3 Learning Environment, 9 Professional Learning and Ethical Practice, and 10 Leadership and Collaboration are essential because students benefit when from a teacher with a solid understanding of who they are and how that transfer into their teaching approach.

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These artifacts are short research projects I have conducted on my placements before collaborating with each school. During my research I familiarized myself with the school’s culture. I looked at mission statements, goals, student expectations, unique attributes, and programs. I gathered a sense of the environment I was walking into and then reflected on what that meant for my teaching, and the learning environment I would be able to create within the boundaries of that school.

Click on posts bellow to learn more about each placement.

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Click on me!

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Click on me!

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Who are my students? How can I tailor my teaching to meet their needs?

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Who are my students? How can I tailor my teaching to meet their needs?

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Standard #1: Learner Development. The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

Standard #2: Learning Differences. The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse culture and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.

Standard #7: Planning for Instruction. The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.

Education is not equitable if not all students can access the knowledge. Too often, differentiating and scaffolding is associated with special education, but that is a grave misconception. Each learner is different and require different supports. I believe I have the responsibility of measuring where each student is at in their learning journey so that I can create lesson plans accordingly. When creating each lesson plan, my goal is to provide as many different opportunities as possible for students to access the content I am teaching.

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These Google Slides are connected with PearDeck which revolutionizes slide shows by making the slides interactive.

Click on post to expand slides. Once slides are expanded, click directly on the presentation to view each slide.

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Do I know the content? How will I make the content attainable for my students? 

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Do I know the content? How will I make the content attainable for my students? 

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Standard #4: Content Knowledge. The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.

Standard #8: Instructional Strategies. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.

History is a subject with extensive topics and I won't pretend to say that I am well versed in every topic. However, I can say that as a responsible teacher I always make sure that I fully understand each topic I teach. I prepare by reading documents and familiarizing myself with the way the assigned textbooks speak about the topic. I then strategize by thinking about my students needs and how I can frame the content in a way my students can understand.

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The artifacts I have included bellow are different examples of how I incorporate the universal design framework into my lesson planning. The Universal Design for Learning is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences that provide teachers with a structure to develop instructions that meet the diverse needs of all learners (Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, web). The structure has been broken down into three categories:

“Multiple means of representation to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge”,

“Multiple means of expression to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know”, and

“Multiple means of engagement to tap into learners' interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn”.

Click on the map to view interactive links.

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View the interactive image by michele paniagua

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This is an extended lesson plan about the Holocaust. What is unique about this lesson plan is that it requires me pay close attention to details rather then only focusing on what I am going to teach. This lesson plan requires me to reflect on how I will gather students previous knowledge, how I will reteach content that is not understood, the duration of each activity in the lesson, and so on. Overall, it requires me to acknowledge my content knowledge and instructional strategies.

Click on PDF to view lesson plan.

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How do I know my students understand what I taught them? How have I made the content applicable outside of the classroom?

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How do I know my students understand what I taught them? How have I made the content applicable outside of the classroom?

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Standard #5: Application of Content. The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
Standard #6: Assessment. The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.

Social studies can sometimes be reduced to memorizing facts and events, but I believe social studies is much more. After I teach a topic, I check for students' understanding. After I make sure that the students understand the subject, I provide opportunities for students to apply their new information to current events to make history relevant to them and less distant. I also believe different forms of assessments should be provided to students so that they may have different opportunities to display their knowledge.

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This is artifact is an analyzation of a final assessment. Throughout the unit, students learned about chattel slavery and racism in the United States. The unit assessment measured student’s understanding of chattel slavery and the ways enslaved African Americans resisted slavery. Furthermore the assessment measures student’s ability to analyze the impact of slavery on the media, government laws, and people’s beliefs throughout time. Since students analyzed media representation throughout the unit, students were given the option of submitting their work in form of a podcast, presentation, or paper.

Click on PDF to view assessment.