2. My name is Marcy and just like you all, I am very excited to pursue a master’s
degree at the University of New England! I am currently beginning my sixth class. I
currently reside in a small town in the state of Connecticut and currently teach
kindergarten in the city of New Britain in the Consolidated School District of New
Britain. The school that I proudly make a difference at is Frank J. DiLoreto Magnet
School. At our K-8 school, our vision is “Educational Excellence for All”. High
expectations are held by all teachers and administrators with the strong belief that all
students can achieve success. Our focus at DiLoreto is on language development and
therefore, students receive additional daily instruction on the English and Spanish
languages to enhance academic abilities in core subject areas. Our goal is that all
attending students will demonstrate proficiency in both languages by the completion
of grade eight. Next year will be fourth year of teaching and my third year as a
classroom teacher. I greatly enjoy assessing and teaching whole groups, small
groups, and individual students, especially at the kindergarten level. I believe that
by differentiating instruction/assessments based on ability levels and incorporating
all learning styles and needs in the curriculum in every way possible, every demand
is possible.
3. Prior to teaching kindergarten, I was employed as an elementary resource
teacher in the city of Hartford, Connecticut. During this role, my
responsibilities consisted of providing reading intervention support for grade
k-4 students in need of tier 2 and tier 3 Response to Intervention (RTI) services
by developing and implementing phonics and comprehension lessons for
students through analysis of standardized intervention assessments (i.e. DRA,
K, 1, and 2 sight word screeners, quick phonics screener, Phonological
Awareness Skills Test (PAST)). In addition to providing reading intervention
services, I both developed reading and mathematics goals for students IEP’s
based on the Common Core Teaching Standards and developed and conducted
reading and mathematics lessons and assessments to meet these learning goals.
The summer prior to my role as elementary resource teacher, I co-taught Early
Start Summer School for grades 4, 5, and 6. Throughout this role, I designed
and conducted reading comprehension lessons and assessments through
analysis of the reading comprehension standardized assessment provided to
3rd-6th graders in whole group, small group, and individual settings.
4. In May of 2012, I graduated from the University of Hartford, a private university in
Connecticut, with a dual bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education. After
completing my degree and passing the required exams, I obtained my Connecticut Initial
Educator’s Certificate in Elementary Education (K-6) and Special Education (K-12) and
later my Florida Professional Educator’s certificate in Elementary Education (K-6) and
Exceptional Student Education (K-12). Throughout my educational training at the
University of Hartford, I had the opportunity to work with students from ages 4-21 in both
general and special education settings. By working with students at various ages and
ability levels, I grasped a great understanding of the benefits of designing lessons and
activities based on what’s developmentally appropriate for the particular learner, so that
every individual’s learning objectives are effectively met. I’m looking forward to
expanding my knowledge in the area of literacy throughout EDU 744 and the remainder of
the program at the University of New England, to better meet the needs of my students as
readers.
