Student Spotlight: Diane Moon

Diane Moon is pursuing her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Teacher Leader and Mathematics Education. During remote teaching in the fall of 2020, Diane was interviewed by The Washington Post and Good Morning America when a video of her creative tactic to boost student engagement went viral. Read about Diane's journey as an educator below: 

Tell us about yourself. When did you decide to pursue education, and what drew you to this field?

I teach 7th-grade math at MacArthur Middle School in Prospect Heights District 23 and have been here for two out of my six-year teaching journey. Before D23, I worked at Berwyn South District 100, teaching 8th-grade math for two years and 6th-grade math for two years (I love middle school math!). I knew that I wanted to become a teacher from a pretty young age because of all the positive experiences I had at school as a student and the inspirational teachers that made my experience so wonderful. With that, I majored in Elementary Education at the University of Illinois, knowing I wanted to become a teacher. I hoped that I would positively impact my students like my teachers did for me.

At what point did you decide to study at NLU and specifically in the degree program you're pursuing?

I knew I wanted to eventually get my Master's degree after a few years of teaching under my belt to figure out what I wanted to learn more about and where I saw myself fit within the education field. When talking with my mentors and administration, many encouraged me to go into educational leadership. I started researching different options and stumbled upon the Teacher Leader endorsement at NLU. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to make the leap into administration and saw that the Teacher Leader program was an endorsement geared towards teachers who acted as leaders within their district as mentors, coaches, team leads, etc.. I'm so glad I decided to go this route, as it has helped me in my daily role as a teacher and leader.

What do you love most about teaching? 

I feel grateful that I go into work excited to work with my students and see their brains growing. Yes, some days are more challenging than others, but I think a big part of teaching is the amount of grace and patience shown to you by the students you teach. I love the relationships I build with my students and that I can be a small part of their lives. The best part for me is when former students come to visit and offer words of gratitude for the impact I made in their lives. Another aspect of teaching I love is that it encourages me to cultivate a sense of humor. I think teaching makes me a better person; it helps me exercise empathy and work with communities that I would not have any exposure to otherwise. It assists me in becoming a lifelong learner. I have become more patient through teaching, and teaching has even taught me how to make quicker decisions and communicate in a way that is easy to understand. Teaching pushes me to stand up for social justice issues I see in the world today.

You were on national news for a playful teaching technique you used to engage your students via Zoom. Could you tell us about this? 

Our district started off school entirely remotely during the 2020-2021 school year. After a few months, I had a tough time engaging students and grew tired of constantly feeling like I was talking to black tiles on my screen. Teaching remotely with a brand new class of students that I'd never met and trying to establish a fun and safe learning environment was new to all of us, and we were all struggling. I watched a silly TikTok video of a teacher who put stickers on her face to promote class participation, and I thought it was hilarious and was willing to give it a shot. My students loved it, and it was so fun and such a huge success that I posted a short video demonstration on Twitter. I thought I'd only be sharing the video with my small circle of followers, but it blew up with retweet after retweet, leading to an interview with the Washington Post and Good Morning America. 

Tell us something you are learning about right now and its relevance for your career goals.

From my Teacher Leader endorsement classes, I took the importance of being an advocate to heart. As a teacher leader, you are the voice for teachers, students, and your district. I've learned the importance of creating a culture of trust amongst colleagues, partnering with the community and stakeholders to implement positive change within a system, advocating for culturally relevant curriculum to students, and encouraging continuous professional development for both veteran and novice teachers.

What's been the most rewarding aspect of your experience as an NCE student? What's been most challenging, and how have you worked through it?

I think there have been far more rewarding experiences being a student at NCE rather than challenging moments. I've had such a positive experience my first year as a grad student through the Teacher Leader program. I absolutely love the faculty and instructors I've had (Renee and Geri are the best). I was very intimidated at first going back to school after completing my undergraduate degree five years prior. Still, Renee and Geri were so understanding and made the learning applicable to us while creating meaningful projects and assignments that never felt like it was "busy work." Through our Zoom discussions and group projects, the sense of community I felt among my classes has been the most rewarding. I started the program thinking I wouldn't connect with my classmates because it is all online, but that is not the case. 

A challenge for me was that I started my graduate program at the start of the pandemic while things were already uncertain for the school year. As I was navigating a whole new approach to teaching, I had also started my graduate school classes. It was a lot to juggle at first, but I never felt overwhelmed because of the flexibility and grace shown by my instructors.

What would you tell someone looking to enroll in an NCE program?

I highly encourage it; I've had such an enriching experience through NCE where I felt pushed to learn more, and it's helped me become more passionate about topics that interest me. You'll find a great community of learners with inspiring philosophies and visions of education and knowledgeable faculty who guide and support your success! 

Follow Diane Moon on Twitter to see her classroom and school updates @MrsDianeMoon.