Florida

Ampersand School

851 N. Maitland Ave, 

Maitland, FL 32751

Website: http://www.ampersandschool.com/

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Ampersand school provides an alternative experience to the general education public school classroom. Students work vertically and horizontally with other students of different backgrounds and ages. Many of the students who attend this school have left the traditional setting for a variety of reasons, some for behavior challenges, health concerns, or parental choice. Of the twenty students, approximately half of the students have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger Syndrome or are waiting to be diagnosed. The other half have a learning disability, mental health challenges, or struggle with self-control.

 

Ampersand's philosophy is to provide a unique learning experience for unique students by incorporating a B+ or fail grading system, access to global issues and community work, and experiences to grow their unique interests and skills. 

 

Upon conducting assessments and discussing learning initiatives with the students, it was apparent that I could not only provide enrichment programs for reading and math, but could also introduce topics they otherwise would not have been exposed to such as coding, cultural identity, and habits of mind.

 

My students range from first through eleventh grade. For the youngest student, I worked heavily on reading and phonics. For my fourth through eleventh graders, I provided extra math instruction, coding lessons, teaching tolerance lessons as well as habits of mind.

 

 

North Carolina 
Rose-Hill Magnolia Elementary School 1329 Brooks Quinn Road, NC 28458 

Website: https://www.duplinschools.net/Domain/613

My previous placement was in a rural town in North Carolina, where the elementary school served close to 900 students from preschool to fifth grade. Many students traveled close to an hour by bus to get to school and 94% of our students were on free and reduced lunch. A majority of our students’ families worked on the farms nearby or at the poultry and swine processing plants.

 

The diversity within my classroom provided an atmosphere of acceptance, kindness, and empathy. I was truly honored to learn from and about my students and their unique backgrounds. In this class, I had ten boys and eleven girls. Nine students were Black, nine were Hispanic, and three were White. In my second year class, I had seven boys and ten girls. Within this class, five students were Black, seven students were Hispanic, and five students were White.

 

My first-year students were on grade level coming into first grade.  In contrast, my second year, first-grade students ranged from those struggling to count one to one and pass a reading Level A to other students who were on a Level H.  In this class, I had one student who was pulled multiple times a day for intervention work in math, reading, and social skills.  I also had another student who was pulled once a day for behavioral and social skill work. Another student was pulled once a week for speech services. 

 

I was heavily involved in this school during my two years as a first-grade teacher. I coached Girls on the Run, participated in school improvement committees, and presented professional development training to the faculty. From this school, I learned how incredibly important a strong and caring leadership is to create a positive environment that cultivates growth and helps transform teachers and students alike.