What motivates you?
My motivation comes from doing what I love. This is my dream job! I love getting to teach one-on-one every day in an environment that is accepting and welcoming. Nothing could be more rewarding than teaching struggling first graders to read.

How has your job changed due to COVID?
My job is twice as hard now, because I need to see the child’s mouth and they need to see mine. Obviously, masks get in the way of this process. Also, first graders need nurtured and it’s hard to do that from a distance. It amazes me how resilient kids are though. They take all of the new COVID procedures in stride without letting it affect their daily routine at all.

What is something that people don’t understand about your job?
Teaching Reading Recovery takes so much patience! It is easy to just tell a child an unknown word in reading, but my job is to get the child to try multiple reading strategies to decode the word on his own while still trying to read fluently and for meaning. Most first graders don’t have a lot of prior reading knowledge to draw upon, so I need to fill in the gaps for the struggling readers.

Why do you love VCSC/your school?
I came to Davis Park in 1993 and taught first grade for 14 years. I then decided to challenge myself by moving to Reading Recovery. This is my 14^th year teaching Reading Recovery, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. All of us at Davis Park have the attitude that we will do whatever it takes to make sure our students succeed. The caring staff and students at Davis Park have made this my home, and I can’t wait to spend another 14 years here!

Be sure to check back on #Staffurday–Saturday, that is–as we recognize members of our non-teaching staff. We’ll continue both campaigns through the end of the school year.

What motivates you?
I think the thing that motivates me the most is knowing that I have a chance to make a positive difference in someone’s day. It could be a smile, a compliment, or just a word of encouragement. That might be all it takes to make someone’s day better. Teaching and learning is a lot easier when we’re having a good day.

How has your job changed due to COVID?
Many of the one-on-one aspects of my job haven’t changed, as long as it’s in-person learning. I still meet with my student every day, although we have to be “socially distant.” We also have to deal with masks and sanitizing, but that’s minor. However, when we had to go to remote learning, everything in my job changed. I was no longer able to see my student and give her the help and support that she needed. That was very disheartening.

What is something that people don’t understand about your job?
My job as a one-on-one Educational Assistant can be a very emotionally draining job. I have to be calm and positive, or my student will pick up on that, and she will become harder to work with and motivate. No matter how bad a day might be, I have to forget it at the end of the day, and start fresh the next morning.

Why do you love VCSC/your school?
When my student transferred to Davis Park, I was very apprehensive about making the move with her. Now I am so thankful that I did because I love it here! The support and encouragement that I receive from Dr. Roeschlein, the SPED instructors, the teachers, and other support staff are amazing! It’s a great team here at Davis Park, and I am so happy to be a part of it!

Be sure to check back on Wednesday as we highlight another teacher for #RedforEd Wednesday! We’ll continue both campaigns through the end of the school year.