Maria Shockley: President's Educator Fellowship

Master of Arts in Teaching Multiple Subject Candidate Maria Shockley has received the 2017-2018 President's Educator Fellowship, presented by Susan Toma-Berge on November 7, 2017.

About Maria Shockley

​I was born and raised in the Bay Area of California, in a town called Union City. I grew up in a family of teachers, with my mother being the main contributor to my experience with teaching as a profession. The school system I attended was incredibly diverse, and full of extra curricular activities for any kind of interest. The students in my 4000-person high school spoke over 97 different languages, and our sports and music programs were nationally recognized. This environment contributed to my love of school, and my belief that schools can be diverse communities that allow students to thrive. My brief time substituting inspired me to pursue a career as a teacher through the UCI MAT program. 

The UC Irvine MAT program has shown me the ways to work toward becoming an equitable and compassionate educator. As a future teacher, I aspire to create a learning environment where students feel safe, respected, and challenged. I would like to work toward a classroom structure that understands students as complex beings who come to school not only to learn writing and math skills, but also to increase knowledge in all aspects of their lives. I believe that children need positive environments in order to grow and learn effectively, and a positive environment comes when teachers invite their students’ unique funds of knowledge and multicultural viewpoints into the classroom. I would like to work in a classroom that co-creates knowledge, that utilizes technology in new and innovative ways, and that prepares students for an exciting and unknown future workforce. Above all else, I hope to work with students who will become kind and responsible members of their communities.