All+About+Mrs.+Smith

All About Mrs. Smith My beliefs about teaching and learning: All students have the **right** to learn and be taught. School, family, and the community are a **team** to help each student reach their maximum potential. Students **thrive** under a calm and structured environment with clear expectations. I learn from my students by **listening** to their words and **watching** them in the process of learning. Our struggles and our successes **guide** who we are as learners. I love to be near the water and recently went to Hawaii with my family. My husband and I have a 6 year old at UPark and an 11 month old daughter. I am originally from Iowa and a tried and true Hawkeye!   My favorite summer activity is swimming and reading my books in the water. I have to be REALLY careful not to get it wet:)   I have lots of pets. One cat, one dog, two fish, and an aquatic frog.  This will be my 13th year teaching!! I have taught everything from kindergarten to 3rd grade.

 In December of 2008, I finished my Master of Arts in Education from Regis University. In the summer of 2010, I took 2.5 weeks of postgraduate study in the Teacher Leader Program for Math at UNC and did two internships related to that. I also teach DPS kindergarten and third grade teachers the curriculum of Everyday Mathematics in the summers and during the school year. I started work on Colorado's state committee on the study of Formative and interim Assessments this summer, related to the new standards. I have been and continue to be a Math Teacher Leader at UPark. In the spring of 2012, I spoke at the NCSM (Math Teacher Leadership) Conference in Philadelphia about teacher leadership in math. 