"Hi! My name is Rebekah and I have spent the last 5 school years in both regular and special education classrooms helping 1st- 5th grade students with all academic areas. I have worked as a paraprofessional and a teacher in a self contained special education classroom instructing students with various disabilities according to Common Core Standards. Although I have taught all subjects, my favorite subject to teach is reading. I enjoy watching students learn, improve and especially enjoy watching the light come on in their eyes when they finally understand something they have been struggling with. I work very hard at coming up with innovative approaches that I think might help a student grasp what they need to learn.

When I am not teaching I enjoy exercising (walking is my favorite), reading and repurposing furniture. I have 3 grown children and 10 pet fish and want a dog really bad. I received my bachelor's in music from Bob Jones University and have completed graduate coursework in Special Education with Grand Canyon University. Learning as well as teaching are both passions of mine.

I love to use manipulatives to allow students to demonstrate their understanding of a math concept. I think this" hands- on" approach is effective for elementary school students. In math, I also like to ask my students to explain how they got their answer and ask them if "there are other ways they could come up with the same answer?". This inquiry-based approach helps keep students engaged and thinking things through.

Reading is my favorite subject to teach! I am a big believer in phonics. I teach letter/ sound correlation, segmenting of phonemes and the blending (decoding) words and word-building. Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is my favorite reading curriculum but I also teach "Journeys" and complement the curriculum by teaching "Word Their Way" Phonics Program.

I am currently a Special Education Teacher and have worked with students with various disabilities. I attend professional development classes an" less...