About Me

Hello there! My name is Mikala Thomas and I'm passionate about education! I also love reading, history,
anthropology, animals, nature, and traveling. I enjoy incorporating my passions into teaching and helping
my students discover theirs. 
I received my Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from CSU Chico. My area of concentration
(similar to a minor) was in anthropology. My Associate’s degree is in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
I started my career as an infant/toddler teacher. After earning a certificate in Early Childhood Education
from Butte Community College I became a preschool teacher. Then I moved up age levels again and
became a substitute para-educator for Sutter County. While subbing, I became a regular in a junior high
class for emotionally disturbed students. I really connected with them and decided to become a full-time
para-educator in their class the following school year. I have happily taught all ages from four weeks old
to 21 years old and all ability levels, largely thanks to my time as a substitute para-educator. I am so
thankful for that experience and all that I learned from it.
Procedures
1. Bell Ringer: Students will complete the daily bell ringer activity as soon as they come into class
each day.
2. Turning in papers: Students will turn in any homework to the appropriate turn in box when they
first come into class. If an assignment is done in class, one person from each group will turn in
the work for the entire group so only a handful of students are up at the same time.
3. Attention Getter: We will use the phrase “Wingardium Leviosa” in which I will say Wingardium
to get students’ attention, and they will respond Leviosa. They are expected to stop talking, look
at me, and say the response whenever I say the beginning of the phrase. We will practice this
often!
Grading, Homework, & Assessments

 Grading will be on a five-point scale that is aligned with a rubric for the following reasons. I
prefer the 5-point scale because it seems to focus more on the standards being met (or not) and is
easy to understand. All grades need to be aligned with a rubric that is made available to both
students and their guardians. This ensures that students are able to pinpoint the areas they
struggled with and also allows them to address any grading concerns with the teacher by proving
that they did in fact meet the requirements listed in the rubric. With this method, guardians are
better able to support struggling students by focusing on specific areas that need improvement.
 Homework will be kept as minimal as possible. I understand how important family time is and
how busy many of our students’ lives are. They also work so hard during the school day that they
deserve time in the evenings to rest and pursue their passions. When I do deem homework
necessary, students and guardians will be given a notice in advance via posting on the class
website, written reminders in class on a designated bulletin board, and verbal reminders to
students. Guidelines for submission of work will be given at that time as well.
 Late Policy: I expect students to turn in their work on time. If there is an issue that will prevent a
student from turning in an assignment on time, they will need to talk to me about it before the due
date. If work IS turned in late, the student will need to fill out a Homework Slip where they will
explain the reason why their work is missing and turn that slip in instead. I will make note of their
reason and discuss it during the next parent-teacher conference. At the latest, they will have until
 the next test date to submit the late work. The class will vote and decide at the beginning of the
year the penalty for late work.
 Re-take Assessments: Students will have the option to re-take or drop one exam per quarter.

Contact Me
Please contact me via email at mthomas73@mail.csuchico.edu or via the class website at
mikalathomas.weebly.com . I will respond in one to two business days during my office hours which are
weekdays from 7am to 4pm.