Hello! My name is Maegan Melby and I am thrilled to be beginning my first year of teaching at Cornel. I grew up in Buffalo, Minnesota. I have spent the last five years at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities obtaining my master’s in Elementary Education, with a minor in English as a Second Language. It has been my dream to teach abroad, so I feel so fortunate for this amazing experience!

Throughout my college years, I have had student teaching experience in a variety of classroom settings and grade levels. I have worked with Kindergarten through fifth grade students. I also worked at an afterschool program for three years organizing crafts and leading students in interactive activities. It is my teaching belief that every student comes into the classroom with their own unique set of assets, experiences, and needs. It is my goal to create a learning space that recognizes each student as an individual, that promotes collaboration, creativity, and problem solving. Everyone has something they are passionate about, and I want to harness that passion in my classroom in order to motivate my students to want to learn and discover things about the world around them. I believe learning should be hands-on, interactive, meaningful, relatable, and fun. My students will be developing skills and learning content that they will carry with them on their journey as lifelong learners. I look forward to learning from my students just as much as I look forward to teaching them!

Traveling and teaching are my two passions, so I can not wait to do both in Taiwan! I plan to see as much of the country as I can, including exploring national parks and getting my scuba diving license. Learning from and experiencing Taiwan will also help me in building relationships with my students and their families. I also have a passion for art and love opportunities to be creative! To relax I love to curl up with a good book and some tea, listen to music, or watch TV.