About

Hello, I’m Punita Chhabra, a teacher and writer with an enthusiasm for career satisfaction, work life balance, and cultural competency. My other interests include fitness, animal-free cooking, fashion (!!!!), and positive living.

This website touches on much that my professional life and career are concerned with, and quite a bit on my personal interests. You will find plenty here about fitness, positive living, and style, and a bit about education, career satisfaction, and educating strategy.

You can connect with me on Facebook at facebook.com/punitachhabra and on Twitter at twitter.com/punitachhabra.

Education Background & Philosophy

I received my B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland in College Park, where I completed concentrated coursework in Journalism, and was also in the Scholars program for Media, Self & Society.

In the Spring of 2012 I graduated with my Master of Arts in Teaching at Loyola University Maryland with a focus in Secondary Education and Social Studies, and received my certification from the Maryland State Department of Education shortly thereafter. I am Praxis II certified in English Composition and Analysis, and in Social Studies content knowledge, and have an extensive background in writing.

As a disciple of the teaching philosophies of Loyola University, I believe strongly in cura personalis — or caring for the whole person. I believe this philosophy is incredibly important in the classroom for successful education and inspiration to occur.

Whether I am actively implementing an action research intervention, or exploring the effects of cooperative competition, or compiling practical fashion for educators, I have a love of learning for myself, and seek to expand my own knowledge base and skill set as I set about my mission of teaching others.

Other Areas of Interest (Research and Non-Research)

I have a strong personal interest in the role of competition in the classroom, and the effects of cooperation and competition on student achievement outcomes. As such, I am conducting Action Research in my Spring placement (2012) and look forward to studying the outcomes of my work.

Other topics that I hope to explore over the course of my career include:

• Methods of Improving Academic Achievement (all Demographics)
• Impact of Cooperative Competition in the classroom on improving academic achievement
• Increasing Cultural Proficiency in order to maximize student outcomes
• Methods of maximizing Professional Growth, particularly regarding cultural proficiency
• Impact of Indian culture on Academic performance and student outcomes in the United States classroom

Other Topics I’m Interested In (Non-Research)

There is a wealth of topics that I am interested in but don’t necessarily plan to conduct research in. These topics are likely to be addressed here on PunitaChhabra.com.

• Personal fulfillment within Educational careers
• Professional Growth develop an Educational Career as a Professional
• Career Satisfaction
• Maximizing Career Success
• Importance of Multiple Projects for Educators
• The Role of Style and Fashion in the Education World

Other Interests

Fashion and Education. I have also always had a love for style and fashion — after all, whether we are aware or it or not, we all take part in it. Obviously, the practical application of style for teachers and educators can impact career-related success — so I am interested in the dynamics that factor into it. I am also interested in the role fashion can play within the Education world as it relates to educating students and making sense of student culture. I would like to explore the relationship between culture, fashion, and academic performance in students.

The Happiness Project. In 2011 I decided to make a conscious intention to be happy and seek out the joy in life — so naturally I started Googling how to make this happen, and stumbled across The Happiness Project, in which writer Gretchen Rubin documented & reflected on her own year-long exploration and experimentation with improving the overall happiness in her life. The idea behind this resonated with me so deeply that I decided to begin my own open exploration into how to improve the overall joy I experience in my life on a daily basis — so my version of the Happiness Project became an open exploration I share here.