Laney Lee

I began my career in my home state of Tennessee teaching grade 7 science. After four years there, I decided to make the jump into international teaching. I've been in Abu Dhabi at an American International School ever since! Working abroad has given me the opportunity to learn how to incorporate literacy into all of my lessons, as ELL is a big factor here. That being said, academic vocabulary was always a struggle for my students in America as well, and I'd argue that these strategies are important for students from a variety of backgrounds. Additionally, my 9 years in the classroom have seen big improvements in my classroom management skills. After spending years waking up every morning with anxiety over what might occur in my classroom that day, I finally decided to apply myself completely to studying management techniques and styles. Today, this is somewhat of a passion for me and I have a huge place in my heart for other teachers who are new or struggling. I have been there, and I know how hard it is. I genuinely believe improvement is possible for everyone! Please reach out to me if you'd like to discuss this further.

My teaching style, as a middle school teacher, begins with classroom management. Above all else, I strive to create a structured environment so that my students feel safe. We take time to enjoy one another in my class, and to that end I like to incorporate a lot of art in my teaching. "Mandatory Coloring Time" is a staple in my room that incites a few eye-rolls from current students, but past students always tell me they miss it. I always make time for relaxing together and casual chats. With all of that being said, though, developing scientific thinking and science literacy is truly my passion. I aim to strengthen students' ability to critically assess information that they hear or see online to determine bias and statistical errors. Similarly, reading nonfiction text is a major focus in my classroom as the ultimate goal is to equip students to become autonomous and lifelong learners.

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and I graduated from the University of Georgia in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Education. My areas of focus are math and science, and due to chance I've primarily taught science since my first position. Math remains a passion of mine.

My presence on TPT insinuates my passion for creating rigorous resources. Bigger than that, though, is my dedication to being a helper to other educators and using my experience and skills to make science accessible for all students. That being said, I know the feeling of waking up and needing a little extra fluff for my lesson all too well! I'm a returning customer to this site, so I know that every sale I make saved a busy teacher some time. That's what keeps me going.