I am so excited to be your teacher this year, as we travel
together down this road to a better life. Though we are starting off virtually, it is my goal to get to know each other and make this the best school year experience we ever had. Let's get to know each other....I'll go first....
I was born in Youngstown, OH and moved to Nashville in 1979. (You can read more in my bio on this blog.) My parents were first generation USA born citizens of Italian and Sicilian immigrant parents. Their parents
came to this country in search of a better life for themselves and their
children. Times were very hard economically for my immigrant grandparents. But
they never lost hope and faith that their children and their children's
children would live better lives here in America. My parents worked hard to provide for
themselves and my sister and me. They always said their wish and dream was that
my sister and I would have better lives than them. After I became a parent, I
finally understood what they meant. As your teacher, I follow the path my parents showed me:
- I will treat my students like they were my own children.
- I will help my students reach my high expectations for a better life!
- I will be on this educational road with my students, every step of the way.
My teaching philosophy can be summed up simply as, "SHOW RATHER THAN TELL!" I will show students how to improve their reading
comprehension, analyzing, and writing ability, by modeling, and a step by step
instruction technique called "scaffolding the lesson." In simple terms, that means to break down larger things into smaller parts. We follow our district's Scope and Sequence
of teaching standards in our various categories of informational text,
fictional text, vocabulary, grammar, writing, speaking and listening.
In order to learn critical analysis as we read and write, I first teach students
how to form critical open ended questions as opposed to closed questions.
Closed questions can be answered in few words and provide small details. For
example, "Did the team win their championship game? The answer is probably
yes or no. An open ended question is, "How did the team win their
championship game?" The answer will be an explanation rather than a simple
yes or no. More on this to come.
Regarding teaching writing, I begin by teaching students how
to analyze their writing prompt instructions and contrast the three types of
essays: personal narratives, informational/explanatory, and persuasive/opinion
essays. Students need to understand what they are being asked to write
about. Then we write, write, and write
some more. As their teacher. I guide and encourage students' writing more than
just evaluate and criticize.
