Today I really noticed how far along Brighton Elementary has come in the past two years. I was placed here two years ago for my introductory experience in the education program, and even after spending just two days back in the school, I have noticed improvements in the abilities of the students. Two years ago I was in a fourth grade classroom and had the opportunity to help the teacher with DIBELS progress monitoring. She would always be sure to tell me about the students who were her "fast readers," but today I felt that the students we were working with in the fourth grade ("the strugglers") were able to read faster, more accurately, and with more difficult text than the fourth graders I worked with two years ago. This showed me that the school has really made improvements because these students in the fourth grade are obviously getting what they need in the earlier grades. And two years ago I was here in the spring, and I believe that they are further ahead now and it is only just November. I shared this with Mrs. Harris, and she was so excited to hear it, so much that she took me to the office so that I could tell Mrs. Curry (the principal) and Dr. Rodgers. It was a little intimidating telling the National Teacher of the Year that she was doing a good job, but they seemed excited to learn that an outsider had noticed the improvements that they have been striving to make.

Welcome to my first blog! I have never done anything like this, so I am excited to see how it goes!

Here's a little bit about me:
I am a senior Education major at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. I absolutely love working with children and cannot wait to be a teacher. My true passion is working with early childhood age children (birth to age 4), but when I graduate I will more than likely teach upper elementary school. I enjoy working with inner city and under-priviledge students, and plan to ultimately use my education background to mission to other countries.