United States
I have worked as an elementary teacher for the last 28 years. I've taught 3rd-5th grade, Gifted Ed and Young Scholars. As the lead Young Scholars teacher for the last 15 years, I helped bring Young Scholars to District 622, North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale. Young Scholars is a model started in Fairfax County, Virginia, that identifies and nurtures advanced academic potential in students from historically underrepresented populations. My team introduced the program to 3 elementary schools and the following year, the program was expanded to all 9 elementary schools and 3 middle schools. I created a summer camp for over 600 district students and 40 staff members, with a focus on Science and Engineering standards. I also organized and executed multiple family nights within the district, including engineering and math nights.. I wrote a curriculum for kindergarten-sixth grade for the school year and summer camps. The curriculum focused on divergent, evaluative, convergent, and visual thinking skills and encompassed math, literacy, STEM, and art standards. My team saw success in our students and families. Families were more engaged in school, students saw themselves as scholars and made plans and set goals for themselves after high school. Our district’s gifted and talented population shifted from having predominantly white upper middle class students to more closely mirroring the district’s diverse demographics. Our team was often sought out to train other MN school districts so they could also bring Young Scholars to their districts. We were also asked to present our program at the Minnesota Department of Education. I have also coordinated the Targeted Services Program at Castle Elementary for the last 2 years where I recruit and hire teachers, register students for the services, assess data and communicate with staff and families.