Emily Gaul

I have taught language arts to both seventh- and eighth-grade students for over six years now. I have spent hours upon hours creating and fine-tuning my lesson plans, so that they are engaging and effective!

I want my students to be fully engaged at all times! In fact, I feel personally obligated to make each period one of discovery and critical thinking. This means that my lessons are always differentiated: I always consider multiple ability ranges, as well as learning styles (kinesthetic, visual, etc.) when I create them. I also anticipate a middle-school mindset and the interests of the students - for example, what will make them tick, what will wow them, what will "get them talking" as they leave. Essentially, no class is hum drum, no lesson is a "filler"! My lessons posted on this site are always extremely detailed - including even suggested dialogue and questions - and extensive.

I was recognized by my principal for presenting "brilliant, innovative, robust, and creative" lesson plans - ones that fully engaged my students at all times. I also won the district’s Technology Excellence in the Classroom award and the Tech 2005 award, a statewide honor in which I presented a technology initiative at the Illinois capitol. I was also selected to be the Chairperson of our school’s Language Arts Committee, which was responsible for overhauling our curriculum. Our charge included spearheading educational issues and adopting a new textbook, scope, and sequence, among other initiatives. I have also led several workshops during in-service days, including one on engaging reading practices. Finally, I led the Creative Writing Club and co-led the Newspaper Club and have helped many students win writing and vocabulary awards!

I graduated magna cum laude at Miami University in Ohio, majoring in both Psychology and Sociology. I then went on to receive my Masters in Teaching at National-Louis University in Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. I have attended a slew of workshops and conferences, including ones sponsored by the Illinois Reading Council and the Secondary Reading League, as well as other local professional development opportunities. I have also read and researched a great deal on how to be an effective educator!

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