Teaching is a gift I've been given that gives my life joy and purpose. I am a world traveler and as a Spanish and Elementary Education major in college I was fortuitously given the opportunity to spend time in a bilingual classroom for Spanish and English speaking kindergartners. This led me to combine my greatest loves - children and language.
I spent the first 7 years of my teaching career teaching Bilingual 3rd and 4th grade students. I completed my Master's Degree in Teaching English...
Teaching is a gift I've been given that gives my life joy and purpose. I am a world traveler and as a Spanish and Elementary Education major in college I was fortuitously given the opportunity to spend time in a bilingual classroom for Spanish and English speaking kindergartners. This led me to combine my greatest loves - children and language.
I spent the first 7 years of my teaching career teaching Bilingual 3rd and 4th grade students. I completed my Master's Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at University of Delaware in that time.
I moved on to work for the school district to support teachers and administrators in supporting our multilingual learners and all students with high quality teaching strategies and responsive classrooms. During this time I completed my certification for administration as principal or assistant principal.
I decided I wanted a wider breadth of teaching experience before applying to be an administrator, so I have worked for the last thirteen years as a teacher of multilingual learners for a school of students grades kindergarten through fifth grade. I support students who qualify for English language supports from learning their first word in English to when they show they have developed English language skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking equal to their native language peers.
I have been awarded two Fulbright experiences for teachers, spending 3 weeks in Japan in 2007 and a month in Mexico in 2009 learning about government, industry, history, culture, education, and so much more. I have also spent a summer coordinating at an English language boarding school in southern Spain.
My teaching philosophy is to make language meaningful. If we want to connect and communicate; if we feel safe to make mistakes and ask questions, we learn in real ways.
Language learning is not memorization, it is sharing, finding ways to be understood, connecting, and taking away a skill that can continue to grow and change our lives in the best ways.
