Final Podcast File

Jasmine Jackson, a student at MSU Denver, shares her journey to becoming an educator in her podcast. She is pursuing degrees in criminal justice and early childhood education with licensure, as well as a special education endorsement. Jasmine works two jobs to support herself and her education, but still finds time to have fun outdoors and participate in sports. Her passion is working with children, and she believes in creating a safe, supportive, and adaptable learning environment that caters to each student's needs. She aims to truly understand and connect with her students, and hopes to have a meaningful impact on their lives. Hello, my name's Jasmine Jackson, but you can call me Jazzy. Welcome to my podcast. I'm currently a student at MSU Denver, taking two separate degrees. One in criminal justice, and one in early childhood education with licensure. Along with this, I plan on obtaining a special education endorsement. This may seem like a highly unusual path, which is true, but it is one that will best help me achieve my future goals. In the future, I aspire to have my own special education or developmental preschool classroom. When I'm not teaching, I want to help conduct forensic child interviews in the legal system. I'm currently in my sophomore year of study and understand that I have a long road ahead of me, but I feel prepared and excited. I attend school full-time with an average of five courses a semester. When I'm not in school, I work two jobs to support myself and my education. On the weekends and during breaks, I work food service as a shift lead at Qdoba. During the week, I work as a substitute teacher for preschools in Adams 12th. Juggling school and work can definitely be challenging, but it is also really rewarding. In my free time, I try to have as much fun as possible. I really enjoy being outdoors and participating in sports activities. One of my favorite things to do is play tennis. I like baking and learning new recipes, and I love doing artsy activities like crocheting and diamond painting. As much fun as I like to have, I'm no stranger to burnout, and taking a nice long nap is possibly my favorite pastime. I found that my strongest passion is working with children, and I am devoted to becoming an educator of quality and substance. I believe that all children undoubtedly have the capability and capacity to learn and grow, and that looks different for each learner. Through true connection and care, a safe and supportive yet challenging space can be created that cultivates learning and growth for all. As a teacher, I hope to best serve each of my students. In order to do this, I believe connection is key. It is my goal to put myself in the shoes of each of my students to better understand them. I don't just want to passively see them each day, I want to truly and actually see them. I want to be able to feel how they feel, see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they smell, and touch what they touch. I want them to feel truly comfortable and know that they aren't alone. They are at the heart of what we do. They are what truly matters, and they belong. It is my goal to use this better understanding of the students I serve to enhance their learning and better serve them in their journey. To effectively do so, I want to create a curriculum that is unset and adaptable. I want student choice to be at the forefront of my lessons, providing variety in learning and presentation. I want to welcome diverse experiences and support learning of all forms. I want inclusion and diversity to guide me and my classroom. I want to adapt learning experiences to be most meaningful and applicable to each student, not only so that students are engaged, but also so that the learning has real-world application and value for each of them, because learning expands far beyond the classroom. As I progress in my teaching journey, I hope to keep this core concept and principles close to my heart, adding new tools and strategies to best make this dream a future reality, improving upon who I am as a teacher, and having a true and meaningful impact with all of the students I serve.