All About Lindsay Strickler
I grew up and lived in Boring and Gresham, Oregon throughout my childhood and graduated from the Centennial
School District. I then attended Western Oregon University and graduated cum
laude with a B.A. in Early Childhood/Elementary Education with focus areas in
health and geography. I am currently
working towards a Masters of Science in Education with endorsements in Reading
and ESOL at Western as well.
After graduating, I worked as a substitute teacher in many school districts for a year and a half and was selected for a long-term substitute teaching position in a sixth grade classroom. I was then hired at Butler Creek as a temporary part-time third grade teacher and job shared with Erin Boxell for the 2010-2011 school year. In the following year, Butler Creek brought me back for three long-term substitute positions: sixth grade maternity leave, a third grade maternity, and a medical leave in the self-contained structured skills classroom throughout the full 2011-2012 school year.
In January 2013, I took a job position with a non-profit organization, The Children’s Course/The First Tee of Greater Portland, as the Volunteer Coordinator and Assistant Outreach Director. In addition to the duties that fall under my job title, I was originally brought on to help research and launch a mentoring program. The program has been a huge success. I found mentors that meet with the children once a month when we go on an educational outing that exposes these children to their greater community and focus on building one-on-one relationships.
Additionally, the children that were selected for the program are all second language learners and were significantly below grade level in reading. For that reason, we also have a homework group that meets every Tuesday where we do a short literacy lesson and then spend time supporting them with their homework.
It is exciting to watch now that we have been supporting these children and their families for a year now. They are all thriving. Two of the children have received awards from their teachers for most improved in turning in work, one child has left the red zone in reading, and another child's teacher wrote us a letter noting the changes they have seen in the child over the year and thanked us for the support we've provided.
In my personal time, I like to run and I am working toward running a half marathon, going to the gym, scrap booking, reading a good book, hiking and bike riding. My passion is teaching and despite the fact that I love what I am doing now, I know that I want to be in the classroom teaching. I believe it is what I am supposed to be doing with my life.
After graduating, I worked as a substitute teacher in many school districts for a year and a half and was selected for a long-term substitute teaching position in a sixth grade classroom. I was then hired at Butler Creek as a temporary part-time third grade teacher and job shared with Erin Boxell for the 2010-2011 school year. In the following year, Butler Creek brought me back for three long-term substitute positions: sixth grade maternity leave, a third grade maternity, and a medical leave in the self-contained structured skills classroom throughout the full 2011-2012 school year.
In January 2013, I took a job position with a non-profit organization, The Children’s Course/The First Tee of Greater Portland, as the Volunteer Coordinator and Assistant Outreach Director. In addition to the duties that fall under my job title, I was originally brought on to help research and launch a mentoring program. The program has been a huge success. I found mentors that meet with the children once a month when we go on an educational outing that exposes these children to their greater community and focus on building one-on-one relationships.
Additionally, the children that were selected for the program are all second language learners and were significantly below grade level in reading. For that reason, we also have a homework group that meets every Tuesday where we do a short literacy lesson and then spend time supporting them with their homework.
It is exciting to watch now that we have been supporting these children and their families for a year now. They are all thriving. Two of the children have received awards from their teachers for most improved in turning in work, one child has left the red zone in reading, and another child's teacher wrote us a letter noting the changes they have seen in the child over the year and thanked us for the support we've provided.
In my personal time, I like to run and I am working toward running a half marathon, going to the gym, scrap booking, reading a good book, hiking and bike riding. My passion is teaching and despite the fact that I love what I am doing now, I know that I want to be in the classroom teaching. I believe it is what I am supposed to be doing with my life.
Why I Teach
My passion for teaching stems from my own experience in school. I have dyslexia that went undiagnosed. This made learning to read and therefore all other subjects in school very challenging; if not impossible. I struggled every day. I would go home and cry for hours at the kitchen table methodically working on what was supposed to be easy homework. I am sure it was, but it was impossible for me. I was the kid who would walk into the school building saying to myself “I know you’re stupid, but don’t let anyone else know.” I learned a lot of strategies to avoid answering questions and reading aloud. When we worked in groups or partners, I let others do the work. During independent work, I wrote answers down that likely made no sense at all, but my peers didn’t know that. I truly believed that I was dumb and my mom was really the only person who told me otherwise. She worked with me every night to help me figure out how to read and learn. It was fifth grade when I finally learned to read. And when I got it, I got it. I was reading John Grisham in sixth grade and I was able to start catching up with my classmates. |
I share this, because I know what it is like for some of these children walking into school knowing they are not going to perform well. I know the emotional anxiety that comes with that. I became a teacher to help others who have some of the same struggles. That experience has shaped who I am.
Teaching Philosophy
- I believe teaching is a science and an art that requires continued education and practice. It is imperative that I continue to grow professionally through training, earning my masters degree, attending seminars and reading from academic journals and textbooks.
- I believe that ALL children can learn and have the right to accessible curriculum. It is the teachers responsibility and duty to differentiate and shelter instruction for all students.
- I believe that every lesson taught should have clear goals and objectives and that the students are made aware of the learning target. According to Mary Waldron, principal of an elementary school in San Diego, "When you are clear about your purpose for the lesson, an you are clear with your students about that purpose, you can help them focus on the intended learning, and you can stay focused on that purpose." (Rothenberg & Fisher, 2007, p. 252)
- I believe in using reading and writing workshops to teach literacy.
- I believe students need to see the content in a variety of way to ensure they are learning the material in a way that meets their needs.
- I believe that involving parents and learning about students' home life, education background, culture, language acquisition, etc. is an important process that will help me access a students background knowledge and schema in content areas.
- I believe that good communication with fellow teachers, administrators, parents, students and community members is essential to a successful classroom.
- I believe in the use of technology in the classroom and that it empowers students and motivates them at the same time.
- I believe in using a gradual release of responsibility with students.
- I believe that every lesson should include language forms and functions for English language learners.
- I believe that assessment is necessary to determine where students are and areas of need to inform and guide instruction.
- I believe in a balance literacy approach that includes both phonics and whole language approaches.
- I believe that academic language needs to be used in the classroom, taught specifically and then reinforced. Rothenberg and Fisher explain "The concept of BICS and CALP has traditionally been explained through the analogy of an iceberg...The tip of the iceberg, the part that we can see, is BICS, that conversational fluency that we often mistakenly assume equates to the ability to understand and participate in grade-level academic work. The far greater portion of the iceberg lying beneath the water where we cannot see it is CALP, the academic language needed for successful participation in that grade-level academic work...It is our contention that direct instruction of such skills as letter/sound relationships, decoding, and conventions of language, along with opportunities to practice them in authentic contexts, will accelerate the development of language proficiency." (Rothenberg & Fisher, 2007, pp.37-38)
- I believe every student deserves a teacher that cares and will set high expectations for them. "As the following brief article suggests, caring for students of color must go beyond being 'nice' to them. It is not enough to be kind and sympathetic when kindness and sympathy are located within systems of inequality and oppression. Sometimes going beyond being nice means just the opposite of what one might define as 'nice.' That is, it means having high expectations and rigorous standards, pushing students further than they might believe they can go, and supporting them as they try to accomplish their goals. Going beyond niceness also means creating classroom and school environments that are defined by deep confidence in students, acknowledgement that they have talents and strengths, and respect for their identities and their communities." (Nieto, 2010, p. 264)
- I believe in strong classroom management that creates a calm, comforting, enriched environment that lowers students' affective filters and creates a safe, cooperative learning environment. In How to Be an Effective Teacher The First Days of School, Harry and Rosemary Wong attest "a well-managed classroom is a task-oriented environment where students know what is expected of them and how to succeed. According to the research, most students will make better achievement gains in a class such as this. A well-managed classroom is also a predictable environment. Both teacher and students know what to do and what is supposed to happen in the classroom." (Wong & Wong, 2005, p. 88)
- I believe in a classroom that focuses on developing oral language and creating multiple opportunities for peer interaction and conversation. The National Literacy Panel Report described oral language as "more important for reading larger chunks of text for comprehension than for reading at the word level...(and) strongly associated with English reading comprehension." (Wright, 2010, p. 145)
How I Support ELLs
Supporting ELLs is extremely important, especially with the increased number of language learners in our classrooms. "Researchers from the Urban Institute, using data from the 2000 U.S. Current Population Survey, found that between 14 million and 16 million immigrants entered the United States during the 1990s, more than double the 7 million that entered during the 1970s and a further increase from the 10 million that entered during the 1980s." (Wright, 2010, p.5) It is essential that educators find ways to make the curriculum accessible to these students. There are several things I do in my classroom to ensure that I am successfully meeting the needs of my ELLs.
I start with the classroom environment on day one. I create a literacy, print rich environment that focuses on using visuals, color coding and other visual representations of the information. I include a word wall and thematic word charts around the room. I have an extensive library that includes many genres, reading levels, topics, and languages. Additionally, I spend a great deal of time at the beginning of the year creating and teaching consistent routines and procedures so that my ELL students know what to expect throughout the day. I also do get-to-know-you activities and start teaching how to work in small groups or pairs. It is important to teach the skills necessary to work together so that students will be successful in the future.
When teaching any content area, I always use sheltered instruction to reach my ELL students. In the lesson planning stage, I include language forms and functions. After determining what I would like the students to do, I backward plan and determine what instructional strategies will benefit students most. I also include a reading, writing, speaking and listening component to my lesson because my ELLs need practice with both. I have students work together and use pair shares frequently to get students using language. ADD SUPPORT RESEARCH
I am always cognizant of my students language proficiency level and create language expectations based on their abilities. I try to work closely with their ELD teacher to ensure that I am supporting them in the classroom where they spend the majority of their day.
When creating groups, I like to look at the objective and determine if they should be homogeneous or heterogeneous groupings. I like to keep my grouping flexible so that students are exposed to proficient language use as well as have targeted language instruction at their specific level.
Additionally, I look into the community or parent volunteers to help provide students with primary language support (PLS). "When bilingual education cannot be provided, children still should have the right to attend a school that shows full respect for their home language and encourages its use. Effective programs for ELLs, regardless of program type, view the native language of ELLs as a resource and thus provide primary language support to help students learn English and academic content. Even teachers who do not speak the students' native languages can provide this support." I use PLS through strategies such as: preview-review, re-teach concepts, label the classroom, wall displays, use cognate word studies, provide bilingual picture dictionaries, provide native language or dual language books in school and at-home, send home letters in students' native language and seek parents or community volunteers into the classroom.
I start with the classroom environment on day one. I create a literacy, print rich environment that focuses on using visuals, color coding and other visual representations of the information. I include a word wall and thematic word charts around the room. I have an extensive library that includes many genres, reading levels, topics, and languages. Additionally, I spend a great deal of time at the beginning of the year creating and teaching consistent routines and procedures so that my ELL students know what to expect throughout the day. I also do get-to-know-you activities and start teaching how to work in small groups or pairs. It is important to teach the skills necessary to work together so that students will be successful in the future.
When teaching any content area, I always use sheltered instruction to reach my ELL students. In the lesson planning stage, I include language forms and functions. After determining what I would like the students to do, I backward plan and determine what instructional strategies will benefit students most. I also include a reading, writing, speaking and listening component to my lesson because my ELLs need practice with both. I have students work together and use pair shares frequently to get students using language. ADD SUPPORT RESEARCH
I am always cognizant of my students language proficiency level and create language expectations based on their abilities. I try to work closely with their ELD teacher to ensure that I am supporting them in the classroom where they spend the majority of their day.
When creating groups, I like to look at the objective and determine if they should be homogeneous or heterogeneous groupings. I like to keep my grouping flexible so that students are exposed to proficient language use as well as have targeted language instruction at their specific level.
Additionally, I look into the community or parent volunteers to help provide students with primary language support (PLS). "When bilingual education cannot be provided, children still should have the right to attend a school that shows full respect for their home language and encourages its use. Effective programs for ELLs, regardless of program type, view the native language of ELLs as a resource and thus provide primary language support to help students learn English and academic content. Even teachers who do not speak the students' native languages can provide this support." I use PLS through strategies such as: preview-review, re-teach concepts, label the classroom, wall displays, use cognate word studies, provide bilingual picture dictionaries, provide native language or dual language books in school and at-home, send home letters in students' native language and seek parents or community volunteers into the classroom.
Educational History
Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Oregon
M. S., Education Candidate, June 2015
Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Oregon
B. A., Education, December 2008
Centennial High School, Portland, Oregon
Diploma, General Studies, June 2004
M. S., Education Candidate, June 2015
- Working toward a Reading and ESOL endorsement
Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Oregon
B. A., Education, December 2008
- Initial I Teacher Licensure, Early Childhood/Elementary Level Authorization
- Member of The National Scholars Honor Society
Centennial High School, Portland, Oregon
Diploma, General Studies, June 2004
Professional Experience
The First Tee of Greater Portland, a non-profit youth development organization, Gladstone, Oregon
Volunteer Coordinator and Assistant Outreach Director, January 2013-Present
Centennial School District, Butler Creek Elementary, Gresham, Oregon
Substitute Teacher, September 2011-June 2012
Centennial School District, Butler Creek Elementary, Gresham, Oregon
3rd Grade Teacher, September 2010-June 2011
Centennial, Gresham-Barlow, David Douglas, and Dallas School Districts
Substitute Teacher, January 2009-June 2010
Volunteer Coordinator and Assistant Outreach Director, January 2013-Present
- Developed, launched and lead the mentoring program where I am responsible for teaching the homework group every Tuesday and plan an educational outing once a month with 12 disadvantaged, English language learners.
- Increase, train and coordinate volunteers for programming at The Children's Course, Heron Lakes and Glendoveer, as well as, fundraising events.
- Manage the pro-shop at The Children's Course.
- Manage The First Tee of Greater Portland's website and social media accounts.
- Planned a successful annual fundraiser while overseeing the Ambassador Board.
- Create marketing materials for The Children's Course and The First Tee of Greater Portland.
- Developed a fundraiser for the WinCo Foods Portland Open that partnered with local schools.
- Improved the online registrations and scholarships request process.
- Implemented a new money reconciliation process.
Centennial School District, Butler Creek Elementary, Gresham, Oregon
Substitute Teacher, September 2011-June 2012
- Taught a maternity leave position in a sixth grade classroom September-December.
- Taught a maternity leave position in a third grade classroom January-April.
- Taught a medical leave position in a structured skills classroom May-June.
- Coordinated with leave teachers to ensure smooth transitions.
- Structured a classroom and classroom procedures.
- Worked within a team to deconstruct and create assessments for the new national Common Core Standards.
Centennial School District, Butler Creek Elementary, Gresham, Oregon
3rd Grade Teacher, September 2010-June 2011
- Worked collaboratively with job share teacher.
- Led a grade level team to create curriculum maps and assessments.
- Participated in organizing the annual Literacy Night.
Centennial, Gresham-Barlow, David Douglas, and Dallas School Districts
Substitute Teacher, January 2009-June 2010
- Taught a maternity leave position in a sixth grade classroom.
- Supervised and taught multiple classes and subject areas.
Work Cited
Herrell, A. L., & Jordan, M. (2012). 50 Strategies for teaching English language learners (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Nieto, S. (2010). Language, culture, and teaching: Critical perspectives (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Rothenberg, C., & Fisher, D. (2007). Teaching English language learners: A differentiated approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2005). How to be an effective teacher the first days of school. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
Wright, W. E. (2010). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Nieto, S. (2010). Language, culture, and teaching: Critical perspectives (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Rothenberg, C., & Fisher, D. (2007). Teaching English language learners: A differentiated approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2005). How to be an effective teacher the first days of school. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
Wright, W. E. (2010). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.