Hello! My name is Ms. Van De Hey and I am a special education teacher at Jefferson Elementary School in the Manitowoc Public School District. I have been teaching for two years now and have loved every minute of it. I have learned many things and had many special moments that have impacted my teaching career thus far. For example, last year I worked with a young student who struggled to increase his reading skills. He was always wanting to read these really difficult chapter books and I kept saying that he was not quite there yet. His motivation and determination drove him to almost reaching his goal of reading this difficult chapter book. Instead of him getting down on himself that he couldn't read this book, we worked together and I read the book to him in an interactive read aloud. He LOVED this and this motivated him even more to work hard at his reading and exceed his expectations of himself. By the end of the book, he could read and comprehend most of the words on the pages. It was amazing to see such a young student with an need to read such a hard book. He surpassed his expectations of himself and I think he was really surprised to see his growth over the school year. At the end of the year he was so proud of himself and I hope to this day that he continues to use that drive to succeed in life. All he needed was the right book to push him into wanting to read. I try to find those perfect books for my students so they find the drive in themselves to push forward.
Since reading has always been my passion from a little girl who couldn't read enough books to a grown women who lies in her bed and reads till the early morning (when she knows she has to get up and go to work in a few hours), I see the value in finding the perfect book for our students. I have also come to find out that I don't feel I have an adequate amount of strategies and tools to help my students learn to read in the younger elementary classrooms. This has been my reason for going back to school for my master's degree in reading education. I am in my first semester and I love it.
Here are some other things you should know about me. I love being outdoors like going downhill skiing, water skiing, attempting to surf, biking, hiking, and going for long walks. I enjoy traveling and have been all over Europe, Jamaica, and several states. Along with reading, I also love to meet up with friends, hang out with my family, and go on roadtrips. I also love to eat, especially desserts, but I enjoy baking and cooking, although sometimes my food doesn't always taste great (even though I followed the recipe). The biggest thing I've learned in life is to not be afraid to try something new.
If you would like to know more about me, feel free to leave a post and ask the questions you are dying to know. Thanks and have a great day!
