meet mrs. thaler
Teaching is something I have always loved being a part of ~ both as a student and as an educator. While I earned my Master's of Education, I worked as a speech therapist, providing direct therapy to individuals and groups, as well as delivering whole-language lessons in the classroom. This gave me a unique understanding of how children acquire and develop language, and a variety of strategies all children can use to efficiently store and recall information.
In 2006, I joined the first grade team at Riddle Brook School in Bedford, NH. There I was immersed in incredible professional development opportunities including week-long trainings for Writer's Workshop, Responsive Classroom and Project Read. I also served on curriculum development committees tasked with creating and integrating content with existing curricula. Some of my favorites were poetry, math facts and writing. After 7 incredible years, I bid a bittersweet farewell and traded in my snow boots for flip flops to head down to sunny North Carolina.
From 2013 - 2015, I worked at Holly Ridge Elementary as a first grade teacher and then as a CCR teacher. My caseload comprised of mainly fifth grade students needing support in literacy. This was one of the most rewarding - and surprising - experiences of my teaching career. It reminded me that no matter how "big" the student, each one wants dearly to succeed, belong, be acknowledged, be cared for and be challenged. And, no matter what, caring about and believing in my students can make all the difference in the world.
After taking two years away from classroom life to have our third and final little guy, I joined the second grade team at Willow Springs Elementary. With reassignment impacting staffing, I needed to find a new home and could not be HAPPIER to have found a home at Bryan Road Elementary! |
Outside of school, you'll find me with my four favorite guys - my husband, Marc, and our three boys. After arriving in the heart of the ACC, we were told to pick a side - red or some shade of blue - but we prefer Orange, in honor of our alma mater Syracuse where Marc and I met two decades ago. As native New Englanders, we also remain loyal to the Patriots. We love the beach, playing outside and, when we have the chance, relaxing!