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!