My name is Caitlin and I am the oldest of three. I have a one-year old nephew who I absolutely adore. I enjoy watching football on Sunday's with my family! GO GIANTS!!! I enjoying spending quality time with my family and friends.
Outside of the classroom, I am a cheerleading coach for girls between the ages of 9 and 12. I have been coaching for the past 7 years and I enjoy every minute of it. I am currently starting a cheerleading squad at work for grades 4th through 8th, which I am very excited about!!
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I currently have a small cupcake business which I do out of my very own kitchen. I bake cupcakes for all occasions (baby shower, birthday parties, bridal showers, weddings, etc...). One interesting fact about me being a baker is I do not eat sweets. My family and friends are my taste testers!
One of my most favorite hobbies is to explore new places. The most recent place I have been to was Europe, this past summer. I traveled with a group of 25 strangers and one tour director. It was a 12 day trip and we explored the streets of London, Paris, and Rome. We explored famous churches, monuments, and ate DELICIOUS food. Paris has always been on my bucket list! It was an amazing experience and this summer I plan to explore the streets of Spain.
Growing up, I always dreamed about being a teacher. I can remember playing in my room and setting my stuffed animals up on my bed and they were my students. I would tape black construction paper to my walls and that was my chalkboard. I followed my dreams and here I am 5 years later doing what I absolutely love to do. My first year of teaching was an instructional assistant in a 6th grade self-contained classroom. This way very challenging as a first year teacher! Then, I started at a new school as a Kindergarten instructional assistant. I instructed students in small and large groups, assessed students both individually and in whole group, assisted the lead teacher in developing age-appropriate lesson plans for all students on different learning levels, participated in grade level meetings, IPT meetings, and Parent-Teacher conferences. During my time working alongside the lead teacher, I was able to grow as an educator. After working alongside the lead teacher for a year, I was given the opportunity to be a lead teacher in my very own 2nd grade classroom and that is where I have been for the past 3 years.
I will work collaboratively with my teachers inside and outside of the classroom to implement a quality reading program to meet the needs of all students. Together, we will create lessons that are appropriate for all students. I will be sure that centers are fun and engaging for students and will motivate them to enjoy reading. The teacher and I will co-teach. This will allow for the both us to bounce off of each other's ideas.
When completing classroom visits, I will create centers based on the individual's level of reading and area of struggles. These centers can be completed in small group instruction. I will be sure that centers are fun and engaging for students and will motivate them to continue and enjoy reading. As the reading specialist, I plan to work with students in small groups, working on specific skills to improve their reading abilities.
From this course, I hope to learn different techniques to be able to walk into a classroom and provide my teachers with the support needed to assist struggling readers.
