Previously the Teacher of the Year & 3rd Grade Team Leader for an amazing school in Clay County, Florida. I am proud to say that I am a product of Clay County Schools & my own children attend some of the best schools we have in Clay! I have Elementary Certification, Age 3 - Grade 6, in both Texas and Florida, with an ESOL & K-12 Gifted Endorsements. I have over 20 years experience in a variety of 1st to 8th grade classrooms, including Gifted, EHSC, ESE Inclusion & Bilingual. I have an additional 3 years as a school Network Specialist, as well as experience as the evening Adult Education Computer Technology Instructor. I love technology! As a Navy Wife, I had to go into different schools, different school districts and even different states! From low-income to high-dollar, I've seen them all! The hardest part was that some schools give you everything, and some schools have nothing. When you have your own units, you can hit the ground running. First year teachers or experienced teachers...nothing is better than having your own files to pull from and be ready to go from day one. Classroom management is NOT THAT HARD, when the students are actively engaged! Have a question? I'm just an e-mail away! FernleySmith@yahoo.com

I am passionate about using centers, mini-lessons and Guided Reading in the primary classroom!! Next, instill a love for literature! Build a strong foundation in the youngest children with literature, vocabulary, spelling & writing and everything else will fall into place, including Math & Science!

I hit the ground running my first year with being nominated for the beginning teacher of the year for my district. Since then I have also been nominated for teacher of the year. Last year I was the Teacher of the Year for my school. Many of my administrators have stated that I am an outstanding, energetic, intelligent and enthusiastic educator. I have shown evidence of excellent communication skills with students, parents, and co-workers, not only with written documentations but also by having my own web sites. My strong technological, organizational and interpersonal skills have been commended by my administrators, principals, and district directors. This has allowed me promotions in my field, even with still being a Navy Wife on the move!

I graduated from Florida State University with a BS in Elementary Education. Later I earned a Gifted Endorsement from University of North Florida. I am constantly continuing my education in computers and technology, including two summers at NASA's Astronauts Memorial Foundation. My knowledge of computers and the Internet is extensive. I have experience with teaching both software & hardware classes, networking, common computer applications classes, on-line classrooms and learning, building and maintaining web pages, video and picture editing, as well as being a Microsoft Office User Specialist.

Please visit my blog for more classroom ideas ~ Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas! Blog
Thank you, ~Fern