Elaine Z Re
Special Education Teacher
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Phone:
469-321-0146
Email:
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Hello! I'm Ellie
My teaching philosophy is that I believe you have to nurture and develop the whole child, from their skills in academics, to their social and emotional needs, to their character values, and to support their individual learning needs. I want to be a role model that displays integrity, work ethic, responsibility, dedication, persistence and civic duty to lead them into becoming productive members of society. I place an extremely high value on diversity and the inclusion of all students in my classroom. I also strive to build deep relationships with parents and families to work together as a team to support their student in every way possible.
CO State License
Experience
EXPERIENCE
8/2017- present
Special Education Teacher(2021-present)
3rd Grade Teacher(2017-2021)
Aurora Academy Charter School, APS
Data driven specialized instruction, create and implement IEP and evaluations, hold meetings to meet state and federal guidelines and laws, collaborate with SPED team, administration and general education teachers;
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Responsible for all areas of instruction, effective and efficient classroom management of 28+ students, increased test scores and built lasting relationships with students and families.
10/2013-5/2017
ECE/Pre-K Teacher
Clyde Miller Elementary P-8, APS
Responsible for all areas of center driven curriculum, fully knowledgeable with GOLD program, member of ECE MTSS team for Community P, data driven results that led to multiple initial IEP’s for special needs students and completed over 80 hours of professional development outside of contract day.
2/2004-1/2015
Shift Manager/Catering Manager
Macaroni Grill, Denver, CO and Dallas, TX
Managed 20+ team members overseeing all aspects of scheduling, catering orders, finance reports at end of shift, communicating with customers and effectively running day to day operations at the restaurant.
EDUCATION
2017-2020
Master's Degree
University of Colorado at Denver
Master of Arts Degree with a major in Special Education
Completed all required coursework while teaching full time with a 4.0 GPA
2008-2010
Teacher Certification
University of Texas at Dallas
State of Texas Certified Teacher EC-4th
Completed all required coursework above my undergraduate degree to become a licensed teacher.
2001-2003
Bachelors degree
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Marketing
Professional organizations
Member of Council for Exceptional Children
SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
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LETRS trained, 2022
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State standards driven implementation and instruction
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Proficient in PALS testing and use of data to create small group instruction; Proficient in Iready program in both Reading and Math
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Use of technology programs during online teaching instruction
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Fluent in WIDA levels to support English Language Learners; Collaborative skills with families and school personal
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Girls on the Run Program- volunteer for program for 17-18, 18-19, 19-20 school years
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Volunteer in community
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Soccer for Success Coach 2014-2016
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Literacy nights with Family at current school
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Volunteer for school events throughout the year
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Collaborated and co-taught professional development Love and Logic for entire teaching staff 19-20 school year
Letters of Recommendation
Ms. Rowley
ESS Team Lead at present school; have worked with Ms. Rowley for 3 years. She has been an invaluable mentor as I moved from the general education classroom to supporting students with disabilities. I have learned a great deal about state and federal laws and how to advocate for their needs inside and outside the classroom.
Ms. Tracy
Principal at present school where I teach; I have known Ms. Tracy for 7 years and was chosen by her to move from my 3rd grade position to the Exceptional Student Services Teacher in 2021.
Ms. Alaniz
ELD teacher I used to work with. I have known Ms. Alaniz for 6 years and we have built a deep friendship during that time. She translates my lesson objectives for me each week in Spanish and supports a parent who translates them into Amharic. She is a valuable resource for supporting my English Language Development students in my class. I cherish her support daily and is a very kind and positive impact in my life.
Mrs. Stayaert
Reading interventionist at present school; I have known Mrs. Stayaert for 7 years and has been the interventionist I work alongside for MTSS. She and I collaborate when supporting students in Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.
ADDITIONAL ATTACHMENTS OF WORK
EVALUATIONS
LESSON PLANS
LITERATURE REVIEW
ARTIFACTS FROM MA PROGRAM
While taking a Cognition and Instruction course, I created a power point on the research I found about anxiety and the brain. Research showed the anxiety affects working memory. When we try to retrieve information during a test, like high stakes testing, anxiety can be the cause for this lack of retrieval. Studies have shown that a high percentage of students suffer from anxiety.
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As a person who struggles with anxiety, I wanted to understand the effect anxiety has on brain functions. It was fascinating to discover the impact it has on gaining and retaining information in the pre-frontal cortex. I also looked at ways to ease student anxiety in my classroom and empower students to learn coping skills.
This is a multimedia presentation in the form of a power point I created based on the literature review I wrote for my final course in my degree program. It highlights the studies and research I found on inclusion around the world.
During an English Language Development course in my studies, I wrote a complete student case study on a student I had in my class that was struggling. Once I learned more about his family life, his past experiences with school and interests, I was able to connect with him and build a relationship built on trust and understanding. I was able to then provide the support he required to begin to show growth over the remaining part of the year he was in my class.
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So often times, the reasons behind a struggling student who is an English Language Learner has nothing to do with their abilities academically. Most often, it comes from the issues in their home environment or a language barrier. Getting to know a student on a deeper level and developing a relationship with them is the best way to help them achieve their goals.
In looking at a multitude of other countries, this review of literature allowed me to see how teachers around the world are focusing on the need for inclusion in their classrooms. It also made me feel very grateful to work in a country that values diversity and has more funding to support students with disabilities. It also was a very humbling experience to see what factors other teachers are dealing with that are not even an issue for us in the US.
While researching studies for my literature review, included above, I created an infographic on inclusion in other countries based on 3 studies. I took the information gained from these 3 studies and created a creative way to present it in a new way.
Being able to understand how students with disabilities are impacted in other countries was a very eye opening experience. Although laws have been passed to ensure their rights to equal education, cultural views in some countries limit their ability to even attend school. Stepping outside of our country and looking how other countries have had successful inclusion in their classrooms can give us some direction on strategies that could be implemented.
