Reading with Maryellyn F.

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to read about me! I am a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in the area of Exceptional Needs. I am a retired teacher with 38 years of experience. I am the mother of 5 adult children and the grandmother of one. I graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Masters Degree and have continued to expand and refine my teaching practice even now as a retiree. I am certified to teach grades through 8th grade and am certified in Special Education up through high school. Most of my experience is in grades 3-6. My students can expect to have a responsive teacher who listens to their needs and interests. I teach for independence and towards critical thinking skills. I take the time to know my students as individuals building trust in each other as we work. I seek and value family input. We are on this journey together. I try to keep the last few minutes of a lesson to reflect with the student and family regularly. I teach the core subject of reading. I pay attention to and emphasize all 4 domains of language: reading, listening, writing and speaking. Each domains supports and reinforces the others areas. As an NBCT, I begin with the student getting to know their strenghts, needs and interests. I develop a goal and begin instruction consistently evaluating and reflecting on the goal and our next step in learning. My personal belief is that all can learn with support and dedication. Learning usually does not happen in a straight line but in curves and peaks. I foster a growth mind set. Learning is a life long path.