Model Teachers: 3rd Grade

Grade: 3rd Grade
School: Carver Elementary
Years Taught: 14

Why are you passionate about supporting fellow teachers?
Teaching is a TEAM! There will always be a never-ending To-Do list. Teacher efficacy and success can only be obtained with a strong support group.

What is the best way to describe your classroom on a typical day?
We are structured and active learners. We support our peers with peer coaches and take advantage of flexible learning to promote peer support and student collaboration.

Grade: 3rd Grade
School: Dutrow Elementary
Years Taught: 4

What word best describes you as a teacher and why?
My teaching style is real! Full of real fun, real relationships, real experiences, real interactions, real growth, real learning, and most importantly real love. I love my students and I fight hard for them. I want them to feel my real love and to feel that I want them to be excellent in their behavior, academics, and any other endeavors at this school. It is important that my class becomes a community and family. I have told them many times that we are like family; we fuss like brothers and sisters because we are. We will look out for each other and respect each other. It has created a true community within my class. At recess they will play together and work as a team. I find that they will push each other to be better behaviorally and academically, as well. I use times when students make mistakes as learning opportunities. The moments when the mistakes occur are moments getting them closer to learning or to behaving better.

Why do you love working in NNPS?
I feel blessed to have landed a job at NNPS. Their focus on empowering their own staff has led me to move up the ladder from a substitute to a certified third-grade teacher. NNPS offers a wide range of opportunities for personal and professional growth, customized to one's individual needs. I take great pride in aiding others and find immense satisfaction in watching them thrive. The comforting and encouraging environment at NNPS guarantees that every seed planted blossoms under thoughtful guidance.

Grade: 3rd Grade
School: Sanford Elementary
Years Taught: 9

Why are you passionate about supporting fellow teachers?
Teaching is such a challenging but rewarding profession. I feel like being a mentor is my way of contributing to growing the profession, especially in a season where teachers are hard to find.

What do you love most about teaching?
I love the daily challenges of teaching. I appreciate that no two days are exactly the same and that the kids always keep me on my toes.

What is the best way to describe your classroom on a typical day?
My classroom is structured but empathetic. I believe that routines and schedule are very important for young learners, but my classroom is also a space to deal with big emotions that don’t follow our daily timeline.

Grade: 3rd Grade
School: Jenkins Elementary
Years Taught: 30+

Why are you passionate about supporting fellow teachers?
I have had so much support in my over 30 years of teaching. I would never want a teacher (new or seasoned) to feel like they are alone in this career. We need each other to share ideas, lend a listening ear, and just supporting the difference we are trying to make with kids.

What do you love most about teaching?
I love seeing the growth that students make. This could be academically or socially or both. Seeing the impact I can make on a child's future is inspiring.

Grade: 3rd Grade
School: B.C. Charles Elementary
Years Taught: 15

Why are you passionate about supporting fellow teachers?
I vividly remember being a new teacher, and I am forever grateful to my team and mentor who supported me every step of the way. I learned so much from them, and I want to support teachers any way that I can.

What is the best way to describe your classroom on a typical day?
Positive and consistent. It is important to set clear expectations for student behavior and to be consistent with daily routines and procedures. I have learned that students respond well to structure, positive encouragement, and being aware of their roles and responsibilities in the classroom. Building a class community is imperative to maximize learning and developing the whole child.