IDEAS for Teaching

We are two teachers who have enjoyed teaching together and collaborating with each other for over 20 years!  Our 40+ combined years of teaching experience includes Kindergarten,  Multi-Age K-1, First Grade, and Second Grade.  We are currently both first grade teachers.  We have also held leadership roles in our school, including Mentor, Grade Level Leader, and Teacher Support Team Leader.

Our I.D.E.A.S. name exemplifies our philosophy: INTEGRATED:  All of our subject areas are integrated under one Author's Study or Thematic Unit.  Learning is more meaningful when activities are connected. DIFFERENTIATED:  We strive to find each student's "zone of proximal development." (Vygotsky)  We seek to match every learning activity and teacher-student interaction to the optimal level of challenge for each student.  As a result, differentiation is at the center of our curriculum. ENGAGING:  We believe that learning, above all else, should be fun!  When students are drawn into learning, they are motivated to apply effort and achieve full potential.   ACTIVITIES:  Children need to be active learners.  We hope to create hands-on, collaborative learning experiences. STRATEGIES:  We constantly develop, adapt, refine, and enhance our repertoire of teaching tools.

AWARDS: The Learning Tree Store Legacy Award, Superintendentís Awards, National Board Teacher Certification, 20 Year Service Award WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS Four Steps to Literacy Success, Developing Math Concepts through the Literature of Eric Carle, Writing For a Reason (New England Kindergarten Conference Celebration of Ideas), In the Style Of...How to Use an Authorís Study to Connect Curriculum (Tufts University), Integrating the Arts into the Classroom (Tufts University)

•B.A. Early Childhood Education (K-3), Tufts University •Master of Arts, Master of Applied Teaching, Tufts University •B.A. Colby College, Psychology •Pine Manor College, Elementary Education Certification (K-6)

We are each raising three children of our own, which has enabled us to synthesize the parent perspective with the teacher perspective!