I tell anyone who will listen that I have the best job in the world, because I get to work with some of the most amazing students and adults on the planet! Every day my students teach me how to improve myself as a teacher and a person. In return, I give them an unrelenting passion for reading and learning.
I have been lucky enough to work at Olson since 2002. As building literacy coordinator, I am responsible for nurturing a culture of literacy among students and staff. I am a part of our building literacy initiatives. I design and deliver comprehensive staff development in areas including: assessment techniques, analysis and use of data to monitor growth and inform instruction, and research-based instructional techniques for teaching decoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. I collaborate closely with teachers providing coaching, conducting demonstration lessons, and supporting all areas of teacher development.
In short, my job is to make Olson a great place to learn.
At Olson we create readers! We know that being a strong reader is an important part of having a successful and fulfilling future. We also know that people become great readers by reading. All of our teachers are teachers of reading. We dedicate time each day to teach vocabulary and reading strategies. Most importantly, each student spends 15 minutes each day reading during our IMGREATT time. IMGREATT stands for I Am Gaining Reading Expertise All The Time. Students get to choose from a large selection of books from each classroom's library as well as the school media center. IMGREATT is also supported by a unique and exciting program called "Books On Demand." Books on Demand Allows students to request books that are of interest to them. The requested books are purchased and donated to the classroom library in the name of the requesting student. In this way our students are constantly renewing their interest in reading and our supply of current, interesting books. This is how we create readers!