Grade 2

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lorraine G. Falla. I have been in the education field since 1987 when my youngest child started kindergarten. I began as an ed tech in the St. George school in St. George. From there I went back to school and got my degree in education and taught fifth grade and then the Title One program for eight years.  I have been teaching second grade, here at the Cushing Community School, for five years now. I am married to John M. Falla and we recently celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary. I have two wonderful children, Daniel and Rebekah, both of whom are married. My husband and I are now looking forward to welcoming our first grandchild in the spring of 2010.  

 
Why you like to teach your grade or special area:

 I like teaching second grade a lot. They are beginning to blossom as independent learners. It is so exciting to see them develop from learning to read to reading to learn.

Favorite student units:

Some of my favorite units to teach in second grade are the science unit on organisms. I love to watch the excitement when the millipedes, pill bugs and guppies arrive. Other subject areas I really enjoy teaching I are reading and writing. 

Parent contact plan:

I like to stay in contact with parents through the Weekly Report. Each student fills out a ‘Weekly Report’ on Friday afternoons. We go over the events of the week, i.e., What did we do in . . . they name three subject areas and tell when we did in that area. There is also a section titled, ‘What did I do well,’ and ‘Up Coming Events’ and the last section is for ‘Student Comments.’ The students write about something they enjoyed that week. The reverse side of the ‘Weekly Report’ has the Teacher Comments and a section for Parent Comments. These reports are sent home and signed by parents and returned each Monday. I have found them to be very effective and informative.

Homework guidelines:

The students have reading and math homework every night. There is fifteen minutes of reading and fifteen minutes of math. There is a reading and math homework log that students fill out and have their parents sign, or initial them daily. These logs are turned in every two weeks.