Dear Reader, 

 

My name is Kiersten Rutherford and welcome to my portfolio for the Master of Arts in Teaching and Curriculum (MATC) program at Michigan State University. This site demonstrates the progress I have made within the innovative masters program at MSU and a synthesis of my work. 

 

This is my 4th year as a certified teacher. I completed my undergraduate degree at MSU in the spring of 2016 and did my student teaching internship in Mason, Michigan. I decided to take my passion for teaching multilingual learners and tried to find a teaching job within the heart of language learning. I currently teach at the International School of Nanshan Shenzhen (ISNS) in Shenzhen, China. ISNS is an IB World School and I work as a PYP Grade 2 Homeroom Teacher. 

 

Shenzhen is the fourth largest city in China where the official language is Mandarin. ISNS is a private Canadian International School that enrolls around 900 students from grades K-12 in which the majority of students are Chinese nationals that speak Mandarin as their first language. I have a classroom full of 20 amazing students with various backgrounds. 17 of my students are Chinese and 3 are Korean, all of which are learning English as a second or third language. My students are at varying levels of English abilities that range from intermediate to proficient. Students receive instruction in English as I teach them all subjects; Math, Units of Inquiry, Reading and Writing. They also attend one Mandarin language class each day. Students who are performing below grade level expectations receive EAL support. We use the “push-in” model where these students receive extra support from an EAL teacher in reading and writing classes every day. 

 

One thing I try to instill within my students is empathy and an open-minded attitude. As multilingual learners, we have moments of doubt, but also many moments of success and we need to ensure that all students in our classroom feel supported from their teachers and their peers. Moving to a country in which the first language is different than mine has completely changed my outlook towards ESL students. Becoming a multilingual learner myself has changed the way I see education and the world around me. The MATC program has helped me to develop and strengthen my passion for helping all students become successful, no matter where they come from or what language they speak. Together, we can be successful and help others see diversity and multilingualism as something to share and celebrate. 

 

Thank you for viewing this culmination and synthesis of my work in the MATC program.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kiersten Rutherford