My experience is primarily with teaching middle school Writing, but through serving as a Department Chair I'm also very well versed in Reading curriculum and strategies. I love designing units that are driven by student-choice, facilitate authentic experiences for students, and help students identify and speak out about injustice and make a difference in the world. My master's concentration was in Teaching English as a Second Language and I've worked with many emergent multilingual (aka ELL) students. I've also co-taught with SPED teachers, and love to talk about creating scaffolding that help all learners in your classroom. In our coaching sessions, I like to let you be the driver of our time together--if you want advice, I'd be happy to give it; if you just want help thinking through something, I'd also be happy to ask questions to guide you forward; if you want to collaborate on creating something together, I'd also be happy to do that as well.

I enjoy teaching elementary school Math. I also enjoy brainstorming on ways to foster classroom culture from community and relationship building to behavior management. I have been a mentor teacher and instructional coach to 3 mentees who are now full time teachers in different parts of the U.S. I have experience using many coaching styles in order to fit the needs of the person being coached. My coaching styles include: in the moment coaching; modeling; recording videos; providing written and verbal feedback.

I have been an elementary school teacher for 12 years. I have worked with students in special education and general education across Grades 1-5. I have expertise in early literacy skills, curriculum design, inquiry-based learning, and strategies for diverse learners. I have mentored and coached new teachers across my career.

"As a National Board Certified English educator, I have enjoyed the challenge of making learning an exciting, rigorous, and enjoyable process for my peers, my students, and their parents. I love to design  challenging, enriching, and innovative activities that address the diverse interests and needs of my students.  My passion for igniting student curiosity and student-centered learning in the classroom and creating connections to the larger community is one of my strengths. 

My instruction fosters a sense of community as I diligently integrate current events into every lesson that impact students locally, nationally, and globally.  I am a believer that it truly takes a village to raise a child, so interdisciplinary instruction is my favorite type of planning because it reinforces essential skills, builds connections, and  makes teaching less isolating. Each quarter I created a unit with a different department in my grade level and have extensive experience working with  history, STEM, art, and PE departments. 

Developing the whole student socially and emotionally (SEL) is critical to ensuring academic success.  Classroom management and the ability to differentiate student learning will optimize the learning experience in your classroom.  My classroom management focuses on class created goals and places the onus on the student to understand that learning is a process and how to discover their voice. Teaching students to embrace the struggle allowed me to build 21st century skills that implement the appropriate level of rigor to maximize student potential.  Standard Based Grading, Personalized Learning Models, SEL, and enrichment activities that use data to drive instruction has been the focus for the bulk of my career.  

I would love the opportunity to create lessons, brainstorm, troubleshoot, and share best practices from our experiences.  New teachers are the spark that is needed to ignite the learning community. 

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Amazing learning and outcomes happen when an individual is curious, reflective, and internally motivated. I apply this basic principal in guiding my instructional design and delivery with students, and with the teachers I work with. For the past several years I have developed and led student-centered learning initiatives in my district, and have presented professional development on building culture that supports best outcomes for student-led learning experiences. I am celebrating my 11th year in education as a middle school teacher, instructional coach, and teacher-advocate.

Naadia loves teaching US History and Advanced Topic African American history to juniors and seniors. She has a lot of experience with progressive and constructivist teaching models and building courageous conversations around race, class and politics. She is excited to help new teachers engage their students in complex conversations, challenge the history they "know," and bring current events into the classroom.