Reading for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Fall, 2011

My name is Ashley Joyce. I am a first year kindergarten teacher at South Fork Elementary in Winston Salem. My professional aspiration is to learn and grow as a new teacher in order to become a better teacher for my students. Eventually, I want to further my education in Administration in hopes to become a principal.

Something interesting about me that I am very proud of is that I am an Army sister. My brother has been in the Army since May of 2010. He is currently deployed in Afghanistan.
I am also proud to be an Aunt to the most precious little girl ever, Breelyn Laine! :)

August 31, 2011: I very much enjoyed our class lastnight. I am very interested in what this class has in store. I love that our professor has a good sense of humor and helps engage us in what he is teaching. My goal for this class is to learn how to incorporate reading and writing more in my life than I do already.

Hello, my name is Rachel Hicks. I am a Kindergarten teacher at South Fork Elementary School here in Winston-Salem, NC. This is my third year teaching and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

As you all will learn, I am very vocal and often times opinionated and therefore, I do aspire to become an elementary school principal within the next ten years. From there my ultimate goal would be to either become a superintendent or to work along side one.
One thing that many people find interesting about me, is the fact that I was born and raised in Oklahoma! Once my family let Oklahoma in 2001, we moved to a different city or state every 2 years until I graduated college in 2009.

After attending our first class, I would honestly say that I am cautiously optimistic. I am very excited about all the assignments that we will be completing this year and I have already started reading my book! I think that our class will be an open forum, that is filled with insightful and meaning dialog. My goal for this class, would be to gain an appreciation for reading. I have always been a student/person that struggled with reading comprehension, yet I always excelled in school. I want to learn how to teach my students how to love reading. I want them to know that reading isn't just something that they have to do, but it will be something that they want to do.

My name is Whitney Fisher and I just graduated from ASU in May with an Elementary Ed degree. I am working at a Pre-School in Jamestown- it is definitely different than elementary school but I know I will enjoy it!

Like Ashley, my older brother is in the military and is currently deployed in the Middle East. I am very proud of his service to our country.

Something interesting about me: I have moved all around the southeast with my family because of my dad's job. I have moved six times in five different states and through all of the moves my family has become pretty close.

August 31 Class- I am excited about this class! I enjoyed the fact that the group is very open to discussion on a variety of topics. I like that the literature we will be focusing on is geared toward older students. All of the books I read for my undergrad classes were focused for younger readers. I am excited about exploring other types of literature.

Hello! I'm Kelly Campbell. I teach first grade a New Vision School of Math, Science and Technology in Rockingham County. We are a year round school and getting ready to have a 3 week break!!

In the future I would love to write children's books and I look forward to spending many years in the classroom! I love my job!

I am excited about this class. It will be interesting to learn more about reading and writing in the upper grades. I am also very excited about reading the book The Hunger Games. I've heard great things about it!

My name is MaryBeth Davenport. My teaching career includes two years of Reading Recovery, one year of second grade, and five years of Reading Intervention/Title 1. Three years ago our family moved to the Greensboro/High Point area when my husband accepted a teaching position in at High Point University. I have been staying at home with our two sons who are 5 and 2, but am hoping to reenter the teaching field very soon.

I would eventually like to have a teaching position that will allow me to primarily teach Reading. I also enjoy working with colleagues, so I believe I would enjoy working in a Reading Coach or Reading Specialist position.

Something interesting about me is that I am a big sports fan. I especially love football and baseball. My favorite college team is Auburn University, where my husband and I both completed our undergraduate degrees.

I really enjoyed the class Wednesday night. It's always enjoyable to be in a class when learning is discussion based. I am really looking forward to reading "The Book Thief" after hearing such wonderful reviews.

My learning goals for this semester include broadening my knowledge about teaching reading in the intermediate and upper grades. So much of my reading experience and instruction has focused on the very earliest readers and strategies to help them become fluent, independent readers. I am looking forward to exploring instruction for a completely different age group.

My name is Heather Fisher and I have been teaching first grade for a year and a 1/2 at Walkertown Elementary. Like Ashley, Rachel and Whitney, this is my first class in the Reading Program at ASU. I am also taking Teaching the Language Arts with Ellen Pesko.
I was very nervous about starting grad. school because of the work load and balancing grad. school and work, however what I have come to realize since taking my first two classes this week was that this will be FUN! Yes it will be time consuming and alot of reading, but it will be interesting and fun to apply to my classroom. I am excited to read many books that I can share with my colleagues and receive valuable information. I wanted to start grad. school because I did not feel that my undergraduate education taught me to teach reading and writing effectively. As a first grade teacher, those skills are very important.
Something interesting about myself is that I have met several famous country music artists such as; Rascal Flatts, Justin Moore, and Joey and Rory. Being a lifelong country music fan, meeting all of these people made my day!

My name is Stacy Durham. I teach first grade at Welcome Elementary School in Davidson County. I have been teaching first grade for five years. My short term goal is to become a reading specialist. My long term goal is to earn a doctorate degree in the education field.

The most interesting thing about me is that I have been sky diving. I will be going again after graduation!

I was left with a good impression after the first night of class. The video shown was very thought provoking. Listening to excerpts from several young adult books made me want to read them all. I believe that it will be enjoyable and beneficial to have discussions with our book club.

I am looking forward to learning more about Adolescents and Adolescent Literature since my experience has only been with six and seven year olds for the past five years.

My name is Nakita Carson and this is amazingly my fifteenth year teaching. I have always taught 3rd grade. I really love that age group because as I often say, they are old enough to tie their own shows, but still young enough to believe in Santa. Third graders are some of the most interesting people you will ever meet because they are now at an age where they can really articulate their opinions.
I started graduate school last fall and am now one semester and a half from finishing. Graduate school has been one of the most rewarding ventures I have undertaken. The other was when I won a fellowship to study the Abolitionist Movement in Philadelphia for four weeks in summer 2010. So far, I have enjoyed every professor I have had through this program. This semester I am also taking Teacher as Researcher, a completely online class. This is going to challenge everything that I am used to, I hope I live up to the challenge.

My name is Natalie Enns. I teach first grade at Easton Elementary School in Forsyth County. I have been teaching the first grade four four years and I really enjoyed it. My goal is to become a reading specialist. I would eventually love to be a VP or a Principal.

The most interesting thing about me right now is I got engaged June 1, 2011 and I will be getting married July 7, 2012.

I thought the first glass was a very good one. It has made me very interested to learn more about adolescent reading and what they have to do in order to be successful readers.

My learning goal for this class is, I hope that this class will open my eyes to what is being taught in the upper grades so I can be more aware of what I need to do as an elementary teaching.

My name is Ashley Montgomery. I teach kindergarten at Nancy Reynolds Elementary School in Stokes County. This is my eighth year of teaching. I hope to finish my masters degree sometime next year and I plan to continue teaching kindergarten for now. I love how much they learn and grow in just one year.

Something interesting about me is that I got my National Board Certification in 2008. I have been helping with workshops in my county to help other teachers who are going through the process.

I thought that the first class was very interesting. I have had little experience working with middle school and high school students. I am looking forward to learning about how to best help those struggling readers.

My name is Ruth Ann Timmons. I teach kindergarten at Moore Magnet Elementary School in Winston-Salem. This is my eleventh year teaching- my how time flies! Professionally I see myself becoming a reading teacher but am currently enjoying the impact my new knowledge is having on my teaching in the regular classroom.

I am due to have my first child, a boy, in 20 days- on Sept. 25th! We are excited and nervous all at the same time!

I am excited to have Dr. Moorman as a professor again and to learn about reading/writing for the upper grades. It will be a total change of pace from kindergarten but I'm already excited to start reading "Marcelo in the Real World." I enjoyed the video, agree things have to change, and hope to be a part of that positive change!

Hello my name is Kara Scott. I teach first grade at Reedy Fork Elementary in Guilford County. This is my first year teaching first grade my other six years were in second and third. I wanted to try first grade and am greatful for this new opportunity. In the future I see my self being a reading specialist, but for now I enjoy using the strategies I have learned in the graduate program to impact my current students. Currently my fiance and I are planning our June wedding. We are planning a beach wedding at Pine Island in the OBX. I thought the first class was very interesting and I look forward to starting our book clubs and hearing from others.

My name is Marlee Wright. I teach kindergarten at Moore Magnet Elementary. I have taught for twenty five years! I have taught Music in grades K-5, kindergarten, first grade, and one year of second grade. I love teaching kindergarten and first grade because when I watch a child as he realizes that he really can read, or that he can write and spell words and communicate in writing, my heart simply fills - I love being a part of that process!

I guess something that most people don't know about me is that I taught music for several years before I began in the regular classroom! I was an organ major in college, along with my elementary education degree. I enjoy music, and I'm interested in using music to support other academic areas.

I am looking forward to this class. I have never worked with students at the intermediate level to the adult level, so this will be new to me...I think it will "stretch me" in a new direction. I enjoyed Dr. Moorman's class "Politics of Literacy," and have thought about our class discussions frequently as we have gone through state-wide budget issues this year. I am excited about what we'll be learning this semester, as well. I am thinking that working with young adult literacy may be something I might want to pursue after I retire from public schools, and this course will lend some "light" to those thoughts.

My name is Becky Lockwood. I teach 5th grade at Southmont Elementary in Davidson County. I have been teaching for 12 years. I have always taught 5th grade in one way or another. I want to use my knowledge to help my student become better readers and writers. I would like to someday become a literacy specialist or a younger grades teacher.
I know many of you were asking about my sister and her baby. He was FINALLY born Wednesday night around 9 after around 40 hours of labor. Hank is adorable and very cute. I am absolutely loving being a new auntie.
I enjoyed the first class. The comic video was very interesting to me. I have been thinking about it this week. I am looking forward to being an agent of change in my school. I am looking forward to an interesting semester. Hunger Games is great!

Hello to all! My name is Michelle Carlson and I am a third grade teacher at Bolton Elementary. I am in my seventh year of teaching which is a second career from working for the airlines for several years. I have two grown children and became interested in teaching when I volunteered in their elementary classrooms. I found working with young children who are learning about themselves and the world they live in was the most satisfying time I spent. I left my job, with a supportive husband encouraging my new adventure, and went to Salem College full time to receive an undergraduate in History and my elementary certification. I chose a masters in reading because I feel if students can become proficient readers they will have the confidence and skills to succeed in other content areas.

As in my past classes, I look forward to learning new strategies for creating lifelong readers and gaining new ideas from the class.

Hey, I'm Sally Elliott. I teaching 6th-8th grade reading at Southeastern Middle School in Stokes Co. I have been teaching, in one capacity or the other, for sixteen years. My goal after grad school is to become a reading specialist or reading coach. Sometimes I think I would like to transition to an elementary school, but I worry that there aren't enough reading specialists serving the middle and high schools. One life lesson I've learned is to not make too many plans; life tends to unfold its own way. I am married with two children. Something interesting about me is that we have lots of animals at my house. We have two dogs and eleven cats; all rescues. The cats live outdoors and have twenty six acres of woods to roam in. We also have two guinea pigs, one hamster, a fish, and one African pigmy frog. The smaller critters belong to my thirteen year old daughter whose aspiration is to be a vet. We would have lots more if I would let her!

Oops! I forgot to add my reaction to the first class. I'm very excited about getting the opportunity to read a new novel and discuss it. I am also looking forward to participating in the book club and potentially using it in my own classroom. The articles look relevant and I think they will offer a lot of useful information. I have to admit that I'm also glad the literature is geared more towards the upper grades since that is what I teach. I'm also excited about the novel/graphic novel bibliographies. This is going to be a great tool for me.

My name is Kim Strzelecki. I work with first and second graders at Moore Magnet Elementary. I am technically employed as an assistant, but since I am certified, I actually get to do the work of a primary reading teacher. This is my first year at Moore, or at any school for that matter, and I am extremely excited! So far, I am loving what I get to do and who I am getting to work with, both adults and children. Before getting this position, I had been subbing in the Winston Salem/Forsyth County school district for two years and I am definitely happy to finally have a more permanent position! My ultimate goal is to become a reading teacher and work with struggling readers. I worked in a reading clinic during my undergrad student teaching and that’s what made me realize that’s what I was good at and what I truly loved to do.

Something that people find interesting about me is that I’m from upstate New York. I moved here a little over two years ago when I graduated from college. After being spoiled by this weather down here, I’m not sure I’ll ever move back to New York!

I enjoyed the first class and am excited about learning more about helping middle and high school students, since most of my experiences have been with younger children.

I am Sarah Patten and I am a part time 2-5 grade AG teacher at Bolton Elementary in Winston-Salem. I have taught 4th grade and highly gifted 3rd grade full time. I stayed home with my children when they were born and have since gone back to part time teaching for the last 10 years. I am going back for my Masters degree because I see that if you want to consult or you wish to be more updated in the classroom, this is the route to take.
I enjoyed the first class. I liked the short video we saw about where education seems to be going. It really left me thinking about how we group children. I was excited to read in a group about a child on the autistic spectrum (Marcelo) which my son is, too. I think schools struggle with how to accommodate these children. The autobiography about our adolescent reading started a very interesting mind search- which I have not traveled to in a long time.