Turning Struggles Into a Teaching Philosophy

Posted October 21, 2025October 28, 2025 in Stories, Students, Teacher Education

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Writing, photography, and time with her dog Nani keep Christine Thompson inspired outside the classroom. Inside it, the preschool teacher and Teacher Education MAT student at Rutgers–Camden is turning resilience into a teaching philosophy built on creativity and care.

From Barely Passing to a New Path

It was a bit hard. After barely passing high school, I took a break from school on and off for a few years until I transferred to Rutgers–Camden. Here, I have dedicated my time to my studies and even joined the MAT program. My life has done a complete 180 thanks to the professors at Rutgers! I have also been a preschool teacher at a daycare for two years and an assistant teacher for five.

After taking years off from school, my life has done a complete 180 thanks to the professors at Rutgers–Camden.
Christine Thompson

The Teachers Who Changed Everything

I struggled as a student in my early teens and late childhood. I recall two teachers—shout out to Ms. Harris and Ms. Draper—who went out of their way to make sure I was okay and never let me think negatively about myself, even when I was struggling academically. This made me want to become a teacher, because I want to impact children’s lives in the same way my former teachers impacted mine.

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Bringing Coursework to Life in the Classroom

I am able to use everything I have learned in my classes and implement it in my current clinical class. At the same time, I am eager to discover new ways to design lessons and to explore the diversity of children and their backgrounds. No two children are alike, and each child must be accommodated accordingly.