Stepping Stones: My Journey to Becoming a Literacy Consultant- Step 4

From the desk of Hope….

As I was preparing to write this blog I stopped for a minute to reflect on all of the schools in which I have taught , all of the grade levels I have taught and all of the principals with which I have worked.

Here is what I came up with:

I taught elementary school for ten years. Within those ten years I worked at four different elementary schools with seven different principals. I have taught grades 1st through 4th. I had a “full inclusion” classroom at one point and I also “looped” with several of my classes.

After my elementary tenure, I was a reading specialist at a middle school for five years. During that time, I taught 6th, 7th and 8th graders. I worked with two principals during those five years.

So let’s see, that is fifteen years of classroom experience spanning seven grade levels and nine principals. Whew!

When I look back on my classroom experiences, I wouldn’t take anything for them. The variety of grade levels I taught helped me to see the seamless learning continuum that every child should have to learn, grow and develop. Maybe I get bored easily because I loved he challenge of learning the curriculum of each new grade level I taught – all seven.

I remember thinking how hard and exhausting it was to work with one new principal after another, having to prove myself all over again and learn new ways of doing things, wondering if this principal would like me as much as the previous one did.

As a Literacy Consultant it is imperative that I know curriculum that spans K-12. It is also very important that I know that principals lead their schools in unique ways.  My wide variety of teaching experiences and the many principals with which I worked has been foundational in the work I do today.

Step Four: Take advantage of opportunities to stretch yourself.   Savor your teaching experiences.