Home

= = Welcome to my portfolio!

=== My name is Ruby Duell. I am 26 years old and have lived in Upstate New York for my entire life. This year has brought me so many changes, moves and realizations, and I am beyond ready to begin in a teaching position that I hope will become permanent. ===

=== I hold a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies and Adolescence Education as well as New York State initial certification to teach Social Studies in grades seven through twelve from SUNY New Paltz. I completed my graduate studies at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, where I studied Literacy Education for grades five through twelve and received my initial certification and Masters of Science in Education for Literacy 5-12. I was also honored with the Graduate Honors in Literacy Grades 5-12 Award in April of 2013, being the sole recipient of the award. ===

=== My teaching experience is varied and diverse, as I have worked in Social Studies, ELA, and Literacy content areas, multiple school districts as a substitute teacher, and currently as a first, second, and third grade Teaching Aide in Lake George Elementary School, in Lake George, New York. Each placement has taught me about ===

=== After days and weeks of job hunting and substitute teaching, I became aware of the opening at Lake George. Although not a classroom teacher and //slightly// out of my certification area, I accepted the position after I heard how much small group and one on one remedial support I would be providing throughout the day. One of my favorite aspects of my classroom and clinical practicums in my graduate program at Saint Rose was the small group and one on one work I was able to undertake. It is amazing the difference these intimate teaching experiences can make for //all// students— not just for those who are struggling. Making a connection to each individual student and getting to know their strengths, personalities, and needs is by far, the most rewarding part of teaching. Past the difficulties, the occasional tears and tantrums, the frustration and exhaustion, I still get to see the spectacular-ness (I know that’s not a real word) of each child. I can see the light at the end of their frustration disconnects and I lead them there. Then, most incredible of all, I get to see the excitement in their eyes when they **get it**. As if that wasn’t enough, I get to see how much love and compassion every teacher, administrator, and employee in the school has for the students, and it brings me such joy. Becoming part of an elementary school has broadened my views on the hard work and support it takes to help our children grow into the teenagers we hope to develop into young adults when they reach middle and high school. If ever I had doubts before about this career path, or the impact teachers can have on their students and students on their teachers, my experience at Lake George Elementary has cemented my decision to become a teacher. ===

=== In February to April 2014, I filled a maternity leave replacement for 7th and 8th grade ELA at Glens Falls Middle School in Glens Falls, NY. Teaching at my alma matter was a true learning experience. I received the best support from fellow teachers, support staff, and even some of my own former educators. My favorite aspect of my eight week stay at Glens Falls Middle School was getting to know my students. Most people told me “teaching middle school is for a certain type of person”. I found this statement to be somewhat true. The teachers and staff at Glens Falls Middle School were incredibly talented at getting through to these kids who find Facebook and Instagram picture “likes" the most important pointers of their self worth. To be able to make these kids think meaningfully, work harder than they’ve worked before, and //feel intelligent// was beyond any type of gratification I had ever felt before. With the diverse group of students I had, it was necessary to differentiate my lesson plans, homework, and reading passages. In the middle school setting I was able to hone my classroom management skills and greatly sharpen my ability to take control over a classroom. I found the more able students were to complete the work at their instructional level, the easier it was for them to remain on task. The only regret I currently have is not knowing the phrase “are you making a good choice?” before my placement at the Middle School (this is something I learned at Lake George Elementary School). Of course this works for first and second graders who are taught to be conscientious of the choices they are making every minute, but I can just imagine how an uncooperative eighth grader may react to this question! ===

=== Until my current full time position, I was a registered substitute with WSWHE BOCES and a substitute for area teachers at least once to five times a week. In the past three years, I have substituted at Saratoga High School, Warrensburg High School, Queensbury High School, and Glens Falls Middle and High School. In addition to Social Studies, Remedial Reading, Special Education, and ELA substitute positions, I also filled a supplementary assignment at the Glens Falls Middle School for a three-week period helping to administer, collect, and organize state tests throughout the whole school. In this placement I worked very closely with the guidance and administrative teams to ensure proper testing procedures. ===

=== In addition to substituting and my Teaching Aide position, I have gained experience one could only find, I’m sure, through graduate work at the College of St. Rose. In their small yet pointed and successful literacy program, I found professors and Doctors of Education who made it their purpose to see me succeed, which in turn meant the success of young learners. I learned that literacy is the basis to all content areas and without success in reading and writing, students would find succeeding in school as a whole very difficult. Working in this program opened my eyes to the diversity of this nation’s students. Throughout my life, education has come easily to me. I never had difficulty reading or writing or understanding much of anything, and in fact, school was enjoyable and excitable. It was overwhelming to learn that not at all students have such ease. I found the most immense reward in helping some of these children find the fun in school again as I had experienced. During and directly after my graduate studies at St. Rose, I was afforded the opportunity to work in an area school, Slingerlands Elementary, where I worked with a fifth grade classroom, and also in a clinical setting at both the Joy S. Emery Clinic as well as the St. Rose Center for Literacy Teaching and Learning. With the adoption of the Common Core Standards, I am confident my background in Literacy will be an invaluable asset to my teaching. I have become very familiar with the Common Core Curriculum standards, as all lessons taught were aligned to them. Furthermore, my coursework in the literacy program has given me the knowledge necessary to recognize struggling readers and writers and the necessary skills to make the proper accommodations and provide remedial support. ===

=== Throughout my student teaching and practicum placements, I have been offered the opportunity to work in classrooms and with individual students in both Social Studies and Literacy content areas. My Social Studies student teaching semester at SUNY New Paltz truly proved to me my love for creative lesson planning. I always knew I loved history, but to get students on board is a difficult task. History is so often seen as “boring” one must utilize interesting and diverse teaching techniques in order to engage students. I ensured to use a wide range of materials and resources within each lesson I taught, as this often leads to optimal student engagement. Students worked with computers, in partners and small groups, with hands-on materials, and in station rotation activities. I made sure to make the most of every minute my students were in my classroom, often beginning with a bell-ringer activity and closing with a cumulative discussion or “exit ticket”. I worked with 7 th grade American history classes, 11 th grade American history classes, and 12 th grade Economics and Government classes throughout my student teaching. I found when it comes to teaching Social Studies/Economics, it is an indispensable skill to be able to bring the history alive. I believe my students were ultimately successful because I pushed them to be active and accountable members of my classroom. ===

===Happy browsing and I hope you enjoy my online portfolio! Please Contact Me! with any questions or comments you may have! ===