Our next ASpotlight Interview is with Isabel Meltzer, Learning Resource Specialist and 2020-21 Fourth Grade Section Leader. Read her full interview to learn how Isabel strengthens our boys’ executive functioning skills while catering to each boy’s unique learning style to support him academically, socially, and emotionally.
Can you tell me about your professional trajectory and how you ended up in the field of education as a Learning Resource Specialist?
I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher – I’ve always loved working with kids. In high school, I participated in a program called Gateways, where I learned special education strategies that supported student learning, including the fundamentals of Applied Behavior Analysis, Structured Teaching and Social Stories. I was then able to apply these skills. For three years, I worked with a boy who was diagnosed with autism. This experience fostered my love of inclusivity, teaching, and supporting others.
A few days before I graduated from Syracuse University, my professor sent out an email that a Syracuse graduate had an opening at their school. That graduate was Sarah Luposello and the position was as a learning specialist! I graduated with a degree in inclusive elementary and special education, so the available position was intriguing. Also, I knew of Allen-Stevenson because I have a cousin who was a student at A-S, as was his father.
My program at Syracuse focused on teaching students in an inclusive environment. In addition to learning how to accommodate individual students, we also learned how to create universally designed lesson plans. This framework guides the development of flexible learning environments and learning spaces that can accommodate individual learning differences.
When I was in elementary school, I had teachers who did not always take the time to build a relationship with me or understand what type of learner I was. There are so many ways to be a student. I want each of my students to feel supported academically, socially, and emotionally.
I am currently getting a master’s in special education with a concentration in behavior disorders at Hunter College. This program will prepare me to focus not only on classroom management but also provide me with the tools to work specifically with elementary school students who have emotional behavior disorders, learning disabilities and speech and language disorders.
Can you describe how you support the boys’ learning as a Learning Resource Specialist? What does this role entail?
Executive functioning skills are at the core of our Learning Resource Center (LRC). These skills enable us to plan, prioritize, filter distractions, and start and finish cognitive tasks. There are eight areas of executive functioning: impulse control, working memory, flexible thinking, emotional control, self-monitoring, planning and prioritizing, task initiation, and organization. By strengthening these important skills, we are setting up boys to be more independently successful in the classroom and their everyday lives.
As a learning specialist, I also teach reading and writing classes. Additionally, I co-teach humanities with the two fourth-grade teachers. It is important to recognize that boys come to their development at different times and in different ways. My goal is to foster a love of reading in students. In addition to strengthening comprehension, fluency and vocabulary, my approach to reading is to challenge students to recognize the similarities and differences between themselves and the characters they read about in books. We teach reading in small groups, which allows for thoughtful and thought-provoking group discussions relating to the theme and character development. We teach boys that there are various ways to make connections with a book. This includes text to self, text to text, and text to world.
Our Study Skills program is taught in Grades 4-7 by the Learning Specialists and is designed to teach specific skills and strategies through explicit instruction. We partner with subject area teachers to implement skills lessons. The program is designed to help each student identify his learning style in order to determine which tools are most beneficial to him and his unique learning style. The overall goal of the program is to provide students with skills and strategies that will help them navigate class assignments, projects, and tests independently as they build executive functioning skills.
During typical years, we also have morning time in the LRC before classes start. All students are always welcome to stop by! By working one-on-one with the boys, we can more easily identify what is that student’s specific need. Despite COVID, we have been able to start doing these sessions again over Zoom.
Students always feel welcome in the LRC – it’s a revolving door. Some students come in just to work on one specific assignment, and others come weekly. We aim to meet students where they are and cater to what they need. Typical focus areas include executive functioning, strengthening specific skills, and helping students plan and prioritize assignments.
How do you collaborate with other Learning Resource Specialists to make sure boys are getting the individualized support they need?
As Learning Specialists, we constantly collaborate and look for ways to support one another and the boys. We exchange skills and strategies that will help support specific boys, as well as the class as a whole. We all bring unique skills to the team, and by collaborating and meeting on a consistent basis, we can make sure we are meeting the needs of all students and supporting faculty members.
When planning Study Skills, our goal is to ensure that skills being taught in each grade will prepare them for the next. For example, the skills being taught in fourth grade will tie into the current curriculum and allow for an easy transition into the fifth-grade curriculum.
What do you hope boys gain from the Learning Resource Center to be successful in life after Allen-Stevenson?
It’s really about gaining independence. We want to strengthen these executive functioning skills to the point that they feel confident and comfortable executing them independently. As the boys progress through life, these executive functioning skills are increasingly important, and if we can engrain them early on, they will be set up for success later in life.
Inclusive teaching and meeting the student where they are is very important. We have our curriculum planned, but we adapt it and are flexible to teach our boys in a way that makes them feel supported and will help them be successful.
You have taken on the role of Fourth Grade Section Leader during the 2020-21 School Year. How did that come to be and what has been your favorite part about this role so far this year?
I have worked with the Fourth and Fifth Grades in past years as a learning specialist. So, I had experience collaborating with Fourth Grade Teachers Sarah Luposello and Lorenzo Bellard and was already familiar with the curriculum.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be a section leader this year. My favorite part about this role so far has been supporting my 12 students through these very challenging times. I love having my own class where I get to build a strong rapport with each student.
Educators have had to adapt their teaching strategies with the current situation, and support the boys emotionally and socially in ways that are different during COVID. Experiencing this with my students and being a support system for my class is truly an honor. Gaining a strong rapport with each of my students has allowed me to support their needs successfully on a day-to-day basis.
Do you have a favorite subject or curriculum unit to teach?
I love our humanities unit that we are doing right now! We are studying ancient Mesopotamia through an interactive simulation. Usually, it is carried out by each homeroom independently, but this year we are using it as an opportunity to bring the whole Fourth Grade together. Each fourth-grade section represents a different clan. The simulation is extremely interactive and engaging and gives the students the opportunity to connect with other homerooms. This unit ties in executive functioning skills, historical content, reading, writing, art, collaboration, and communication. There are many moving pieces that strengthen so many different skills. The students really look forward to it each year. I think it has become one of those projects at A-S, like Third Grade Mr. America, that younger boys look forward to for years in advance.
Do you have any other roles at Allen-Stevenson about which our community might not know?
I am a part of the WARE group at Allen-Stevenson, which stands for White Anti-Racist Educators in Independent Schools. We are a network of white educators in independent schools whose goals are to deepen our understanding of white racial identity, white privilege, and white cultural dominance in our institutions. We strive together to develop skills as activists/organizers for more equitable schools. We aim to work in solidarity with and accountability to People of Color in creating anti-racist communities.
