Donna Byrd-Wyatt
hi, my name is donna and i teach kindergarten in davidson county. our school is the third largest elementary school in the state and we are considered a "watched school". our school has been involved in "strategic literacy initiative" training for the last two years and we are also involved in writers' workshop training. this class is the second course that i have taken in graduate school. i am extremely excited about my new graduate school journey!
i have been teaching for nine years. six of these years i spent teaching title I first grade students and the last three years i have had the honor of being a kindergarten teacher.
my journey to teaching was quite emotional and at times painful. though my gift in life was art/design, i found reading and writing in school a struggle. i was a confused and frustrated reader and writer who experienced life changing moments through school. i met teachers along the was that reiterated to me that i could not read or write...and that i would not be considered a "college bound" student. i learned to compensate for my weaknesses by paying close attention to my peers and lessons and teachers and anything that would help me be successful. finally along this hard and never-ending road i met an incredible teacher that told me i could and i would make it. after graduating from high school i received an art/commercial graphics degree and later went on to receive my BA in elementary education.
as a title I reading teacher i had the joy of working side by side with children that struggled the same as i had so many years before. i was honored to witness their courage and strength as they tackled reading and writing.
i am now thrilled to be a kindergarten teacher. as a kindergarten teacher i have a great passion for children's literature. though i enjoy reading from various genres, the children's section of barnes and noble booksellers is usually where you can find me. i also recently learned to play the guitar and i enjoy playing for my students each day as we explore the sounds and rhymes of music. because kindergarten is such an active and alive age to teach, i am comfortable expressing my love for literacy with my students in any way possible.
i strive to continue learning how to serve young children as they begin their literacy journey.