Welcome to fifth grade! My name is Mrs. Smith and I will be your child's teacher for reading, writing, spelling and grammar this year. They will spend about 2 hours per day with me. I look forward to getting to know you and your child and helping to prepare them for middle school!
A little information about me... I taught third grade for 10 years and then took the opportunity to switch to first grade to try something new! I taught first grade for 3 years and decided to expand my experience by switching to fifth grade this year! I'm super excited to work with fifth graders! We are going to have an exceptional year preparing for middle school! A little educational information about me.. I have a master's degree in Developmental Strategies, a master's degree in Online Teaching and I am almost finished my principal certification. I love to learn!
Some personal information about me.. I am married to a wonderful man who works in the technology field. Together, we have a blended family of six. My son is in first grade this year. My daughter is in fifth grade. In addition, I have two stepsons that are in sixth and ninth grade. Together, we like to spend time outside, playing sports and swimming.
My teaching philosophy... My goal this year is to teach and encourage your children to take ownership and responsibility for their learning. Fifth grade is a crucial year to develop independence, as it is your child' last year in elementary school. I want to be encouraging and supportive as they grow and prepare for middle school. I believe that every child can learn and believe that it's important to meet the needs of each individual child so that they can be successful. I believe in being a team. By encouraging my students to work together, I plan to create a supportive, safe environment where students support and encourage each other.
Communication between parents and teacher is very important to me, however, I will be promoting ownership in my students this year. With that said, your child will be the first line of communication with you but if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me! Together, we are the team that will help your child be successful! :) This blog will be my primary source of communication with you. I will post almost daily information related to assignments, due dates, changes in schedule, etc. In addition, I will be posting pictures of your kiddos working hard in room 58! After the first few weeks, I will also have the kiddos post pictures!
Email is the best way to contact me! I am able to respond quickest to email. My email is msmith@hershey.k12.pa.us.
Looking forward to a fun year of learning,
Mindy :)
