Q. Where are you from?
A. I was born and raised in San Juan Capistrano, California. I went to school at the Mission in our town so I feel very connected to its rich history.  I attended the University of California - Santa Barbara, for both my undergraduate and Masters degrees. After teaching for one year there, I  decided to move to the East Coast where I have taught for another nine years.
 
Q. How and why did you become a teacher?
A. I have wanted to be a teacher since my first day of kindergarten! I came home and immediately began teaching my stuffed animals. In the summer, my brother and I would hold class every morning for our stuffed animals using our old school books. I originally thought I only wanted to teach kindergarten until I looped with one of my classes while I was at C.W. Harris. I fell in love with the first grade curriculum and the capabilities of 6-year-olds. Students grow more in first grade than in any other year. It is a true honor to be with them as they make such a momentous journey.
 
Q. What socioemotional skills are important for your first graders?
A. The part of the Conscious Discipline curriculum that has resonated most with me is teaching students how to use their "big voices." I believe that having an assertive tone is an invaluable skill that has to be cultivated over time. When we teach our children to advocate for themselves in their interactions with peers, they will be able to transfer that skill into adulthood. ​I sincerely believe that I am not just teaching math and literacy; I am also preparing my students to be compassionate citizens in their communities.
 
Q. How do you help your students learn about science, math, and technology?

Q. Where are you from?
A. Originally born in Tampa, Florida, I moved to Herndon, Virginia when I was ten and grew up there.
 
Q. What class do you teach at Langley?
A. I teach in the Communication and Education Support classroom for grades 3 - 5.
 
Q. How did you become a teacher?
A. I have always worked in the special needs field but I wanted to see the educational side of things and what work could be done. So much of our students’ development takes part in the school day, I wanted to be a part of that in a public-school setting. To get into the classroom, I went through the DC Teaching Fellows program.
 
Q. What is Communication and Education Support, and how do you teach it?
A. The Communication and Education Support classroom services students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our students require additional supports in communication and educational needs which looks different for every student. It isn’t quite a "how do you teach it," but rather "how do we support our students to be successful," and for that answer, feel free to stop by whenever! =) We are always happy to have visitors.

Hello new Tiger families!

Due to the cold and snowy weather forecast for Saturday, the Early Childhood Education playdate has been postponed until May. Current Langley families look forward to meeting you and your young students - join us for one of these upcoming events:

• Open House on April 10 at 9 AM - meet fellow parents and tour our beautiful building
• Community Clean-up and Enrollment day on April 21 from 9 - noon at the Harry Thomas Jr. Rec Center park - pitch in with Langley families to spruce up our park and drop off your child's school enrollment papers too

​Stay turned for the rescheduled Early Childhood Education playdate. 

Welcome New Tigers!
 
Hello to all our new Tiger families!  We can’t wait to welcome you into the Langley family, especially our brave PK-3 Tiger Cubs!
 

Welcome Playdate
Our first get-to-know-you playdate will be on Saturday, April 7th, on the school playground from 10 AM to noon.  School leadership and current parents will be there to welcome you and answer questions.  Waitlisters, please come!  
 
 
Rec Center Cleanup and Enrollment Saturday
Langley will be accepting Enrollment Packets at the front desk during school hours each weekday.  As a convenience for busy parents, Langley will also be open on Saturday, April 21, from 9 AM to 12 PM, to collect your enrollment forms.  At the same time, the PTSA will be sponsoring a Rec Center Cleanup and Parade on Harry Thomas Rec Center playground, adjacent to the school.  The bike and scooter parade around the track will begin at 11:30 AM!
 

PTSA Meeting
The next PTSA meeting will be Tuesday, May 15th, at 6 PM at Langley.  If you can't make the meeting but still want to join the PTSA, just send a quick note to LangleyPTA101@gmail.com.  Please reach out with any questions, or just to say hi!  

Q. Where are you from? 
A.  I was born in Washington, DC.  However, I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the small, rural town of Marydel.

Q. How did you become a social worker?
A.  I obtained a master's degree in social work over 20 years ago at Howard University.

Q. What's a typical day for you at Langley?
A. Each day varies for me at Langley depending on the students' needs for that day.  There are a number of students that receive direct behavioral support on a weekly basis.  Outside of those students, I provide intervention for all students with any type of social or emotional need.  

Q. What types of problems do you help solve?
A. I help students with building positive peer relationships, conflict resolution, peer mediation, character development, grief/loss issues, coping skills and address any basic need that interferes with the student's ability to learn.

Q. How can families get in touch with a school social worker?
A.  I am available daily from 8:00 am - 3:30 pm.  Arrangements to meet outside of those time may be scheduled.

Q. What do you love best about your job?
A. I absolutely love working with children.  I look forward to interacting with them, talking to them about the important things in their lives and trying to make a positive impact everyday.

My daughter was one of a few preschoolers recently recognized by her Principal and her teachers for mastering a special new skill. I'm sure you're thinking it was writing her name legibly, counting by 10s to 100 or tossing her juice box in the trash.

This recognition (which came with a certificate and everything!) was for mastering the skill of assertiveness. A mother couldn't be more proud - first, that my kid is assertive at school and second, that she goes to a school that teaches such an important method of communication. "Be nice, be nice!" That's pretty much the extent of my own early childhood social training.

Telling preschool kids to be nice doesn't cut it. According to Dr. Becky Bailey, founder of Conscious Discipline, the third and fourth years of our lives are the most aggressive. When conflicts arise, children use the problem-solving tools at their disposal: often hitting, kicking, biting and screaming. Expulsion rates for preschoolers is 1,300% higher than any other grade level. I've known parents who have declined to send their children to preschool, for fear of exposing them to violence.