I am a 6th grade Earth Science teacher. Born and raised in Miami, Florida and earned my Bachelors degree from the University of Miami. Later, I made Georgia my home and earned my Masters degree from the University of Georgia. I am looking forward to being your teacher this year and have an exciting year of learning planned out for you. Throughout your yearlong study of Earth Science, you will learn a variety of facts, terms, figures, and concepts. But, I will do my best to be responsive to your learning needs by structuring my lessons to draw upon your strengths and interests through multiple fronts and a variety of instructional strategies, such as educational websites, high-interest videos, online assessment tools, printed materials, lecture, discussion, demonstration, simulations/games, and cooperative learning activities. Given that adolescence is a period of mental and physical changes, I will also do my best to create a safe and stable learning environment where you feel empowered and involved in meaningful activities with tangible results. I strongly believe in the power of parent involvement and will keep your parents informed of your progress. When schools work together with families to support learning, children tend to succeed not just in school, but throughout life. In fact, the most accurate predictor of student achievement in school is not income or social status, but the level of parent involvement. At the end of the school year, you will become more knowledgeable and appreciative of how your world works and feel more competent as young scientists. Most of all, you will have fun this year because people rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing, which is a quote by Dale Carnegie.