Tanessa Sanchez
3rd Year Assistant Professor | Child Development & Education
Hello and welcome!
I am an Early Childhood Development Educator who thrives to learn, teach, and mentor students of all ages in the field of education. This website has been designed specifically for my prospective students to learn about me, my classes, and their learning experiences. The success of my students is my main priority and I strongly believe that all students need to be clear about the expectations of the courses they take prior to the classes beginning.
Feel free to explore the links throughout this site to understand more about the classes I teach, my philosophy, and perhaps a few "human" qualities. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
- Tanessa Sanchez
Teaching Philosophy
My primary role as an educator is to facilitate, guide, support, and mentor students to investigate and discover their learning through hands-on experiences, inquiry-based participation, and active involvement. My ultimate goal is to instill in my students the importance of receiving and reciprocating education and becoming life-long learners.
While I am an advocate for structure, I also believe that the classroom environment should be one that fosters constructivist thinking and student engagement. Students should be encouraged and involved in cooperative and independent learning opportunities. I involve my students in the process of constructing knowledge as a member of a community; working together towards a common goal. I incorporate weekly discussions and assignments with basic requirements to engage students in a learning community where every student has a voice and is heard.
8-Week Online Format
An 8-week online course takes a traditional 16-week course and compresses it into 8 weeks. Therefore, 6-8 hours per week shall be carved out from your weekly routine. Online classwork includes weekly video messages, online lectures, discussions, module activities, and preparing for assessments via Canvas. However accessible (no cost) reading material, preparing for assignments, and constructing unit assessments should be factored into your schedule. Yet using technology can enable us to stay focussed on work, family, and school. My goal is to eliminate failure in my courses. Therefore I dedicate most of my time nudging students via Canvas to stay on task.
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Interactive PDF via Google
"The secret in education lies in respecting the students." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Meet the Family!
About Me
I have taught Child Development courses at the Community College level since 2017. My teaching principles are inspired by both my experiences and my education. After spending years working in the corporate world, the birth of my son led me down a path of re-evaluating my career choice. I ran a home daycare, went back to school to obtain my teaching credential (CSUSM), and seized opportunities working in both the private and public school sector. After several years, I found a new passion in mentoring future teachers and later became a college instructor with the help of a Master's Degree earned from Pacific Oaks.
I have worked in education for over 20 years teaching toddlers through 5th grade. My blended family includes my son, two adult daughters, I am a fur-mom of a 9-lb Chiweenie named Ella, and a nonfur-mom to a tortoise named Cheech. As the world begins to open, I continue to stay active and find my joy with food, friends, the beach, & baseball. I hope you are finding the same!
MY PREFERRED METHODS
Canvas Inbox
Alternatively, you may email me at:
Schedule an appointment via Zoom
I will respond within 48 hours, Monday-Friday. Sundays, however, are family days.
Visit me at the San Marcos campus M/W in room MD 360!
ASK in the Student Lounge
The Student Lounge in our Canvas course is a great place for general course-related questions. Your peers might even answer you there! If your question is personal in nature, please send it directly to me through the Canvas inbox.
Come visit me on Instagram
Click on the icon ------>
Or our class pet: @Ellaweenie_Fitzgerald22