Differentiation Nerd

I am currently a special education teacher and teach in a resource room. I have taught all elementary grades in special education and general education settings. I have taught in self contained classrooms and have served special education students through an inclusion model in addition to an intervention block model.

I operate my resource room in a very unique way due to the fact my students in my groups have a wide range of present levels. My students rotate through stations that have been developed and planned based on their IEP goals, special education evaluation data, formative assessment data, in addition to taking into consideration what grade level standards they are working on in the general education classroom. I have stations that focus on phonics skills, comprehension skills, problem solving skills, fluency skills, and anchor standards. My kids have a lot of choice in their classwork and have a menu of choices to choose from when practicing a skill such as creating a brochure, a dodecahedron, or another choice given. I would say my teaching style is very student centered, data driven, but also taking into consideration special education instructional best practices.

Outstanding Educator Award 2018- Awarded by the Tacoma Special Needs PTA

I currently have a BA in elementary education K-8 with and endorsement in special education k-12 and ELL k-12. I have taught in schools where the majority of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch and have ACES. It my passion to work with students with disabilities in high needs schools because every kid has a right to a strong advocate, a high quality education, and a positive school experience. Time after time I have seen that we have a lot of work ,to do so I go where I am most needed, not where my job is going to be the easiest. I have taken professional development in the following areas: -Zones of Regulation -ACES -International Baccalaureate Program -GLAD -WA-AIM -DRA -special education law -CAFE -special education procedures -special education teaching strategies -ELL literacy strategies -ELL math and science strategies