After spending 24 years in the classroom, I am truly loving my new position as the basic skills teacher at Theunis Dey School. I am able to reach every grade level and help students who are struggling and need additional help. I love that AHA! moment when my students understand a concept that they may have been struggling to understand. I get excited when students see improvement or when they are able to persevere and reach mastery. The small group environment allows me to really know each child on a different level.

I truly enjoy the people I work with. The district hires people who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about education. I am so lucky to be in an environment where we are not only colleagues, but family. We are all working toward the same goal; providing students with strong academic experiences that promote positive social-emotional relationships. Our school community is committed to working together to meet students’ social, emotional and academic needs, in order to empower all students to feel capable, connected, and contributing. We strive to produce students who are responsible, life-long learners. Collaborating as a team makes meeting this goal possible.

Frederick Douglass’ quote, "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free" inspired me to become a teacher years ago and pursue my passion for teaching students to read. The majority of children learn to read fairly easily, but for some students learning to read is a challenge. During my small group lessons, I am able to have up close and personal conversations with my students which helps to establish a warm working relationship. I am able to tailor my instruction to meet the abilities of my students so they are able to feel success as readers and writers. My goal is to teach my students the skills needed to become literate people who will have the ability to pursue whatever their academic passions grow to be in the future.

I love learning and improving my skills as a Reading Specialist, and our district has provided me excellent professional development opportunities in the area of structured literacy. I have earned certifications as a Wilson Level 1 Dyslexia Practitioner, Fundations Facilitator, Fundations Presenter, and at the end of this school year I will have completed a three step process for certification as a Wilson Level 2 Dyslexia Therapist. The knowledge I have learned through these certifications positively impacts the quality of instruction that I provide my students. I am able to teach struggling readers using methods validated by years of research about how children learn to read. Most of all, I love working in a school surrounded by other passionate educators who inspire me daily.