Monday Meet the Teacher

Fun Facts About ME:

• This is my 4th year teaching. I don't know where the time has gone, the past 3 years have flown by! While I'm super happy to be an "experienced" and "permanent" professional employee, I'm starting to feel a bit old...I think I liked being the youngin'/new kid on the block. :)
• I have taught first grade all four years, but interned/student taught in 5th for an entire year. I sometimes miss the upper grades.
• Just finished my coursework from my ESL Specialist, wahoo!!!
• I've played the clarinet since 4th grade through college, and toured South Africa in a Philharmonic Orchestra a few years back. Safe to say, I LOVE music and I use it all the time to help with transitions between activities and to set the mood during Writing.  I'm also going to learn how to play the Ukele this year so that I can add some chords to a lot of the songs I sing daily. 
• I have an undergraduate degree in Psychology. I actually did a 5 year BA/M.Ed. program at Lehigh University (we beat you Duke haha). Being a child psychologist is my 2nd career choice, teaching would be the first. :)
• I'm a bit of a reality TV junkie. My favs include: The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Dance Moms (love me some Miss Abby), Dancing with the Stars, and Survivor! I feel like I could start a blog just writing about my reality TV lineup haha.

My Teaching Style: I believe that a little silliness and a lot of positivity can go a long way. It's not uncommon to find me singing and dancing to random songs I've made up in my classroom. I want my firsties to know that learning can be fun! I also believe that positive reinforcement is powerful, but consequences. boundaries, and expectations are necessary. Kids appreciate adults that are firm, fair, consistent, and loving. I try to be all of that every day and incorporate a lot of technology along the way. Inclusion is normalcy to me; I think that we're all citizens of the same community and thus, I support inclusion (in varying forms) of all students. To be concise, I make sure every student feels safe, loved, and successful.