Andrew Vanlandingham

Tell us why you became a teacher

Education is a vocation. As a social person, I knew from early on I wanted to work in a setting that was collaborative, fostered creativity and served people in someway. I also realized that teaching took a level of science and art. The science of teaching is looking for ways to use data effectively and using researched based teaching methods. Art is what drew me to the profession. Making difficult concepts feel consumable and maybe even helping students find their own passion through them.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I have taught both high school and elementary school. The most memorable teaching moment for me was the moment i saw a second grade student learn how to phonetically read. It was a slow process and difficult, letter sounds felt isolated and "impossible" to link together to create words. One day, after many many hours of attempted reading it clicked and then it took off, like a feint sound into a roar. He exceeded the baseline reading scores at the end of the year.

What would you do with the $25,000?

This year I developed a unit surrounding the book "Into Thin Air by John Krakauer. We explored the ethical, physiological, and physical challenges the subjects faced in this story. We looked at the 1996 disaster from multiple angles and explored the human fascination of it. I too through this lesson have become fascinated with the Mountain. I would like to take a trip to visit basecamp with the 25000 dollars to better serve my students and better my understanding of the culture of the region.