Following the inclusion model, Heather teaches in a 3rd grade classroom. This is her second year leading a full classroom after three years serving as a Reading Specialist at Prospect Hill Academy Charter School. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Speech from Emerson College in Boston, MA but went back to her hometown, Buffalo, NY, for her Masters of Education in both Elementary Education and Literacy Education. Being the first in her family to graduate from college, she understands the power education can have on an individual’s goals and dreams and how literacy goes far beyond the ability to read a book. Heather serves on the Instructional Framework Committee at Berkowitz to ensure that students receive a gradual release model of instruction and share academic common language in grades 1-4. She is also a Committee Chair on the board of the Massachusetts Reading Association. Heather received the Sontag Prize in Urban Education in 2013 and 2014, allowing her to teach in the Acceleration Academy in Lawrence Public Schools. She looks forward to working with other Teach Plus Fellows to provide all students with the opportunity to gain a quality education from effective teachers, especially in the literacies needed to navigate today’s world.
