I am so happy to be working with your child in ELA Lab this year. I have a diverse background in the educational setting and I utilize all of my experiences, both as a parent, and as a teacher, to make the lessons I teach your child valuable and worthwhile. Before taking on the role of full-time classroom teacher, I had the oppurtunity to work as a teaching assistant at Buffalo State College, and later a research assistant for a study conducted for Buffalo Schools, spearheaded by Dr. Wendy Paterson. My role as TA involved me working alongside a wonderful college professor (and former Courier Express newswriter) during summer freshman preparatory classes at Buff State,  working with in-coming college freshman writers to improve their writing skills for success in their college careers. I had been invited to be Teaching Assistant stemming from my work in the EOP ELA Lab, where I tutored college students with their writing. From there I made the move to middle school, my true passion. I started teaching many years ago in a private school. I am cerified in Secondary English and Secondary Social Studies (grades 7-12), and as a Reading Teacher K-12. My first MS assignment was teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Social Studies, and 6th, 7th, and 8th grade ELA for several wonderful years. Alas, the school closed. I then moved to a city charter school, teaching K-2 reading for three years. I was very blessed to then join the Frontier district in 2006 teaching grades 7 & 8 ELA (looping) on a wonderful inclusion team. Eventually I became a grade 7 ELA teacher when Frontier made the important decision to pause the looping program while teachers mastered the new Common Core Standards. In 2012 I was asked to teach 6th grade ELA Lab classes, and two sections of 7th grade ELA. I really enjoyed the experience, and this led me to realize that I could utilize my reading teacher and ELA teacher skills to work with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in a smaller group setting, to build reading and writing strategies, vocabulary development, listening and speaking skills, and critical thinking/study/organizational skills. Lab classes meet every other day (five sections on Day 1, five different sections on Day 2) for what is basically a 20-week course. We mainly focus on strategies and the important habits of mind necessary for success in reading and writing, while providing lots of guided practice, with the intent of positively impacting a student's classwork in all subject areas. I welcome you and your child to our ELA Lab program. It is a pleasure to be working with you this year!