Eighth Grade Teacher

The factor that influenced me to become a teacher was my own third grade teacher, Mrs. Coyle. She made learning fun and interactive. I strive each day to be a teacher like her.

I believe in making learning fun and interactive. I try to have students up out of their seat often to promote engagement. I also try and do my best outside the classroom to make the school a more welcoming environment. Our middle team and I promote wonderful fundraisers for our students to create a positive community.

Speech/Language Specialist

My journey toward becoming a speech-language pathologist was shaped by a deep interest in language development and bilingualism. During my undergraduate studies, I worked as a research assistant in a child developmental research laboratory and became fascinated by language acquisition and the role it plays in a child’s overall development. While research was rewarding, I realized that I wanted to pursue my interests in a more hands-on and personal way. Speech-language pathology provided the perfect intersection of my passion for language development and my desire to make a tangible, meaningful difference in children’s lives. In addition, I have always loved working with students and wanted to pursue a profession that encourages creative problem solving, play, and research-based interventions. A key motivator for me has also been my desire to serve bilingual families. Bilingual speakers often face unique challenges in accessing speech and language services that are tailored to their needs. As a speech-language pathologist, I help to bridge this gap by educating and empowering families to support their children’s communication needs by ensuring they have equitable access to quality care.

As a speech-language pathologist, my responsibilities encompass a wide range of tasks aimed at supporting students with articulation, language, and fluency disorders. I conduct comprehensive and dynamic assessments, develop individualized therapy plans, and provide direct intervention to students from preschool through eighth grade. I am responsible for collaborating with teachers and other school personnel to address concerns and provide strategies that support speech and language skills in the classroom. Speech-language pathologists also collaborate and advocate as members of the child study team for multidisciplinary evaluations and developing individualized education plans (IEPs) to support student success. There is something very rewarding about providing speech-language services to students in a school environment. It’s a unique opportunity to support their academic and social growth while helping them overcome communication challenges. I have the ability to blend school-based goals with creative, play-based techniques to engage students in a way that makes learning effective, enjoyable, and meaningful. My ultimate goal is to ensure that learned skills are generalized into the classroom and home environments. As students make progress in their speech and communication abilities, they experience increased self-esteem, which often leads to better engagement in class and a more positive attitude toward learning.