Hi, I'm Kaitlin!

Hello! I'm Kaitlin Montgomery and I'm working on my Master's of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Middle Grades English. This is my second round at State having earned my B.A. in Communication - Media with minors in Journalism and Middle Eastern studies just last May.

I was born in Long Island, New York but grew up in North Carolina. I spent my early childhood in Camp Lejeune (a Marine Corps base on the coast) until my family moved to Monroe, North Carolina which is about 30 minutes outside of Charlotte. I moved to Raleigh for school and fell in love with the Triangle area.

I currently teach middle school social studies at the Al-Iman school here in Raleigh. Al-Iman is a private Islamic school and I am the first non-Muslim teacher to be employed at the school in over a decade. I love working at Al-Iman and adore my students. Although I teach social studies, literature has always been a passion of mine and I regularly weave it into my social studies teaching.

One of my favorite books from my childhood was Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum. I was an incredibly anxious child who had a tough time connecting with my fellow classmates. I read Chrysanthemum over and over again. At the time, I just thought I liked the cute mice pictures but looking back I see that I could connect to Chrysanthemum. She was having a tough time in school just like I was. That's what makes literature so special. It can helps people in ways they never intended it to.

Victor De La Cruz Blog Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Victor De La Cruz and I am a graduate student in the MAT ESL program at NSCU. I was born and raised in a small town in the foothills of N.C., and attended UNC-Chapel Hill for a B.A in journalism and a minor in creative writing. However, shortly after graduating, I took a position as an English teacher assistant at a bilingual elementary school in Madrid, Spain, and soon realized that I was better off pursing a career as an English teacher for speakers of other languages because I enjoyed it so much; thus leading me to this program.

As a former ESL student myself, I know firsthand how it feels to be an ELL in the classroom and how limiting the learning experience can be when having parents at home who do not speak the dominant language (English) proficiently. Therefore, I want to help students who come from similar backgrounds to succeed in school, because teachers really do play a huge role in these vulnerable students' lives whether they realize it or not. Thus, I am excited to learn more about children's literature and I hope to gain more knowledge about children's literature so that my students can see how fun and rewarding reading can be, especially as they continue to learn and improve in their English acquisition.

One of my favorite children's book series definitely has to be the A Series of Unfortunate Events books. Although the books are considered to be a little bit dark for children, I absolutely related to the books in the sense that sometimes bad things can happen to good people, but those circumstances can be changed with determination and creativity. The books also included great allusions to other works as well as interesting plot twists and vocabulary.

I look forward to seeing what this course brings and I am excited to get to know my classmates and their views as well!

Introduction!

Hi everyone!

My name is Anjali Patel, I am 23 years old and studying Middle Grades Education here at State! I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I moved to North Carolina in 2008 and have loved every bit of it! I am incredibly passionate about writing and teaching. I am currently working on writing 3 books (I get distracted and start thinking about more topics and then it somehow turns into multiple books). I just returned from a beautiful 2 weeks of teaching a Hindi Language Camp in Atlanta. I've been doing this for about 6 years now and I enjoy it even more every single time I go!

A major favorite book series of mine as a child was undoubtedly the incredible adventures of Amelia Bedelia! At a very young age, I found that I was able to relate to her many mishaps and accidents! Ultimately, as I grew older I realized that those books had a stronger message for me:

No matter how many times you fall, no matter how much you fail, always believe in yourself and get back up. 

The lessons that I learned from those books are something I am hoping to pass on to my children, both inside and outside of the classroom. I am so excited to get to know you all in these few weeks, and I am very pumped to see what this class has to offer!

Lastly, here is a "meme" my friends made of me. It very accurately describes me, as I can heavily relate to the character of Joey from my favorite TV show FRIENDS. Enjoy!

Breanna Newton Introduction

Hello!! My name is Breanna Newton and I am excited to be part of the MAT pilot program at NC State. I am from a quiet town in Upstate New York snow belt area and attended college in Wilson, NC for my undergraduate degree. This was where I grew to love NC and after graduating, I moved back home to NY and it never felt the same and I was so over the below zero weather. I was a workaholic as a Manager in a grocery store known as Wegmans. It took a lot out of me having a life and enjoying family. Once my miracle child was born in 2014, my life's goal was beginning to change. Due to my husband relocating to Middlesex, NC for his job 2 years ago, I decided to make a career change and embrace teaching. I love working with children and enjoy teaching bible class at my church in Wilson, NC.

The books that I remember from my childhood being so important to me and that I enjoyed reading was The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin. I loved the adventures and the craziness that would happen in these books. 

I am so excited to be taking this course and with a little one getting back in to the great stories from my day as well as finding new books to share with my son and the children I will be teaching in the classrooms. 

Blog Intro_Nguyen

Hello everyone,

My name is Erin and I'm an MAT ESL student; this is my last course before I begin student teaching in Durham this Fall (I'm really looking forward to it!). My husband and I both went to college in Upstate New York, but we moved to NC after getting married in 2014. My undergraduate degrees are in French and Spanish Language and Literature, but I'm eager to take my love of language and learning into K-12 classroom as an ESL teacher.

When I first moved to NC, I worked for a language learning company teaching Haitian Creole to help foster better cross-cultural communication and authentic partnership between Foreign NGO groups and the communities where they work in Haiti. For the past year, I've been focused on the MAT program and work full-time at the front desk as a receptionist and medical interpreter/translator for a pediatric clinic in Chapel Hill.

I love language; as an undergraduate student I studied French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese*, and Haitian Creole. My language study made my time as a student in Haiti, Quebec, and the Dominican Republic so much more engaging and meaningful.

Thinking back to the books I read when I was younger, I remember moving through book after book in the Junie B. Jones series (she was way more outgoing and adventurous than I was, but she reminded me of my best friend and I loved her!).

I think the book that first really captured my imagination though was Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea; it's a book about a young girl who spends a summer in a home on the shores of the Amazon River in Brazil*. Watching her navigate the two very different cultures (the one at home, and the one in the streets and town of Manaus, Brazil) made me realize how badly I wanted to be able to move between different people and places to build meaningful relationships and broaden my understanding of the world - I really longed to follow in her footsteps. Although I haven't made it to Brazil yet, it's on my list!

My hope and goal as an ESL teacher is to provide some of the same welcoming, support, and opportunity to be a part of a community that my teachers offered to me when I studied abroad (recognizing that many ESL students are not only visiting, but working to make NC, and the US, home).

I'm really looking forward to this course, and working with everyone!

Crystal Keeley ~ Introduction

Hello Everyone! My name is Crystal Keeley and I am in the MAT pilot program. I am really excited about this program and can't wait to start making a difference in the lives of children. I am happily married and we have 2 kids, Ryan is 14 and Lauren is 11. We moved from Winston-Salem, NC to Chapel Hill 2 years ago when my husband took a new position at work. We absolutely love it here and I am very excited to be in the MAT program. I am currently a physical education instructor at Duke University. I teach pilates and indoor cycling to the students. I have been in the fitness industry for almost 20 years, but I  had back surgery in December, so I started to rethink my career and what I wanted to be when I "grow up!"  I was lucky enough to stay at home with my kids and work part-time while they were younger but now I ready to focus on my career. Before moving I worked as a Health Educator at a local hospital. Kids came to us on field trips and we reinforced what the children were being taught in school; for example we do interactive actives on their bones, muscles and skin, taught them about the body systems and nutrition. While working there I realized I wanted to work with kids more, so that is what brought me to NC State!



A couple of books that I remember from my childhood are Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk ends. Those were 2 books I remember my 1st and 2nd grade teachers reading to me. I loved them so much I begged my Mom to buy them for me.

I am looking forward to this class and working more with everyone!

Crystal

Laura Droege

Hello! I am Laura Droege.

I am in the MAT ESL program. I was a 4th grade teacher at Forest View Elementary School for the past 3 years. Above you can see some of my students from this past year. I absolutely loved my time teaching, but have decided to step out of the classroom and pursue my MAT. During my time teaching, I was able to teach many English Language Learners, some of whom were refugee students from the Middle East and central Africa. Teaching these kids gave me a desire to learn more about meeting the needs of ELLs in a general classroom setting, which is why I am now in the ESL program.

When asked what my favorite book is, I still say Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. This book was first shared with me by a teacher at my elementary school when I was in 4th grade. It is a beautiful story of a girl coming to terms with pain and loss. As a child, I definitely did not understand all the different layers and the depth of the story. Which means that when I went back to read it as an adult I was floored once more by the power of the story. I have had the chance to read this book with a few girls in my classes and they love it just as much. I love getting to talk about what it means to be a girl and how we can help each other through difficulties and loss. I have read this book so many times that my original copy is literally falling apart, but I will never get rid of it.

I am a die-hard lover of children's literature. From picture books to Harry Potter, I love them all and my favorite part of teaching getting to share these amazing books with kids and see the light in their eyes when they fall in love with a good book for the first time.

Hinchliff_Blog Intro

Hello!

I'm Sara Hinchliff.  I'm in the one year MAT pilot program.  I have a psychology degree from Elmira College in NY state and a Master of Library Science degree from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. I am a bookworm who would love to share my love of reading and learning with children as either a classroom teacher or librarian.  While I have always loved to read anything and everything, I found early on I especially loved stories set in the past.  I remember being super excited when I found out these types of books had a name-historical fiction.  The original American Girl series (before they were bought out by Mattel) is what originally hooked me!

I have 3 kids (14, 11, 9).  We are new to NC, just moving to Chapel Hill last fall for my husband to take a new job.  My husband and I grew up in the NY state but since graduating from college have lived in Maryland twice, Washington state, South Korea and England twice.  We love to travel and try new things and have managed to drag our kids through Europe, Asia and the US.  

While completing my MLS I volunteered at various archives, libraries and museums in England and completed an internship with the rare books librarian at the University of York/York Minster Library.  While super fascinating I kept coming back to the desire for movement and creativity that teaching includes.  I ended my time in England at a Victorian workhouse museum dressing the part and leading kids through hands on lessons about Victorian life.  There were only a few brave kids willing to question my American accent in a Victorian museum. :)

Always seems impossible to get all five of us in a photo.

Gaby Shelow - Introduction Post

Hi everyone! My name is Gaby and I'm an 8th grade ELA teacher at Martin Middle School. I moved to North Carolina from Florida to attend UNC-CH in 2004, where I earned a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication. I worked in Public Relations here in Raleigh for about three years, and quickly realized that it was not for me. After some soul searching, I realized that what I had always wanted to do was teach - so I enrolled in a licensure program at ECU and have been teaching now for four years. I absolutely love teaching and especially love teaching language arts because there are just so many creative things you can do! One thing to know about me, is that I have trouble sitting still. When I'm not teaching, you will usually find me outside doing something. My husband and I love to hike, travel, and we compete in triathlons as well. Here is a picture of me from last summer when we visited Stonehenge!

The books that made the biggest impact on me as a child were actually a series, the Nancy Drew series. I read every single one (and this is coming from a kid that really didn't like to read). I think the reason I liked these books so much is that there was a lot of action in them, yet Nancy Drew was still a little bit of a girly girl, which I could relate too. I liked being outside playing in the dirt, but I also liked to play dress-up too. I would read the books mostly on rainy days in the summer (when I couldn't be outside) and for two summers straight that is all I read.

I'm really looking forward to learning about children's literature and how I can incorporate it into my ELA class, and looking forward to getting to know you all a little better!

Sonia Fitzpatrick

Hello everyone -

My name is Sonia and I am in my second to last class in the MAT ESL program.  I love to see other parents in the program as I get encouragement that I will have some company in returning to school and subsequently work after many years.  I have three children - this August, they will be in grades 7, 6, and 3.  They all learned to read with BOB books and love to read now.  I recognize several of the titles in our syllabus as my kids' old and new favorites.

In elementary school, I remember reading the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary over and over again.  Ramona's life and problems seemed so real - I could identify with them completely!  I only wished I had her spunk.

Taylor Carr - Intro Post

Hi everyone. My name is Taylor Carr. I am an ESL MAT major and got my undergrad degree in Anthropology from Auburn University. I moved to Raleigh after meeting my girlfriend, who is from Raleigh, during the Disney College Program internship in Orlando. We plan to move back there after graduating, where I will teach ESL and English.

I am a big nerd and I love videos games, and more recently, comic books. I look forward to this class partially because comics and children's books are very similar to each other. Marvel and DC both publish all-ages comics that are meant for younger and older readers alike.

The Harry Potter books were very important to me growing up. I remember aging with the books and movies, seeing how things changed and matured as we got older. I recently reread the entire series before starting grad school, in addition to the new playbook that came out. It was and still is a magical story of growing up, being courageous and caring for all types of people (even Slytherins).

Happy anniversary Harry Potter!

Rinehart-Introduction post

Hi everyone! My name is Codi Rinehart, I'm 26 years old and I am a Miami native. I moved to North Carolina with my family about a year and half ago and I love it! A little background about me; I have an Undergraduate degree in Psychology from a private school in Miami, Saint Thomas University and I soon after obtaining my undergrad degree realized that I did not want to continue a career in Psychology. I then fell into substitute teaching, where I remained for a year, and I completely fell in love with teaching. The next school year I became an assistant teacher where I remained for another year and a half until moving up here to NC. Here in NC I taught Pre-K for a little over a year until I decided to go back to school in order to get licensed and be able to teach Elementary School age, and here I am! I am really big into fitness and I currently do CrossFit as well as Olympic Weightlifting (it keeps me sane!). I am currently a nanny for two twin boys which keeps me very busy but I love it! Can't wait to get to meet everyone and learn more about Teaching Literature to youngsters! HAPPY SUMMER!

I just realized I completely missed the part about the book! A book that I remember from growing up was Rainbow Fish. And it's funny that when I was teaching Pre-K recently I found myself reading all of the different Marcus Pfister books just because I really enjoyed his work when I was young. Rainbow Fish does a great job showing young children how to share and letting children know that it's okay to be different and it's also good to share good qualities about you with others. I love children's books!

Bridge to Terabithia

Hello!

My name is Jill Grifenhagen, and I am the instructor for Teaching Children's Literature at NC State's College of Education. I was born, raised, and educated in North Carolina, but I have taught elementary school all over the country. Three years ago I returned to NC as an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at NC State. I love reading and discussing children's books!

One book that mattered to me as a child was Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia. 

I have probably read this book at least fifteen times over the years. The most memorable was the first time, when I was in third grade. Bridge to Terabithia was recommended to me by my teacher, and I read it independently. I loved the characters, particularly the strong, adventurous, bold Leslie. This book was so memorable because it was the first book to make me cry. At eight years old, I already loved reading, but I never knew I could fee l so strongly for the characters or be so moved by the events of the plot. Paterson dealt delicately and honestly with difficult topics, and I think this work is a model for using children's literature to build children's emotional intelligence and open up difficult conversations.