Like many children, Jordan Dean pretended to be a teacher while playing as a child, but she never dreamed she would one day become one, after all, “I was not the best student and would have laughed if someone said I would be a teacher. Towards the end of high school, I really started to reflect on what I wanted to do and I realized that the only thing I wanted to do was teach.”’ Dean’s journey to becoming a teacher wasn’t easy. During her sophomore year at Wesley College Covid hit so she learned virtually for part of that year and an entire year as a junior. “Instead of being allowed in school to give lessons, I was practicing on my classmates while they pretended to be elementary school students. During my junior year, we found out that my college was going to be bought out and merged with Delaware State University. We would be starting our senior year at a brand new school, with new professors, and little to no support. I was lucky enough my senior year to be selected for an interview to be a part of a residency program with Colonial.” Thanks to Colonial’s residency program Dean was assigned to be a student teacher at Castle Hills where she received professional guidance and mentoring. Today she is a 2nd-grade teacher at the school. “I chose to stay because I felt so supported by everyone at my school. I felt like I had colleagues around me who wanted to help me grow and would challenge me to be a better teacher.” Dean wants families to know their children will find a loving and supportive staff at Castle Hills. As for her kids, “I want my students to remember me for not only helping them grow as scholars but also grow as people. I want them to remember how much I cared about them and loved them.”
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