Teacher

 

NAME: Mrs. Elizabeth Clark Picture

SCHOOL: Hammarskjold Middle School

CLASS: 6th Grade ILA House 4

SCHOOL PHONE: 732-613-6890

About The Teacher

Welcome to my classroom.  Long before I graduated from Elmira College with a 
degree in Education, I was working with children.  My summers through out 
high school were filled with babysitting jobs and helping out at the local 
pool.  During college, I volunteered in as a big sister program and spent 
four years working individually with the same student on a weekly basis.  My 
summers were filled as a camp counselor, Waterfront director, Counselor in 
training director and eventually lead me to the assistant camp director 
position.  

After college, my first teaching position was at Xavier’s Lower School in 
Nassau, Bahamas, not far from Paradise Island.  When I returned to the 
states, I obtained a position teaching third grade class in Newark, NJ.  For 
the next 5 years, I continued to work in Newark teaching third and fourth 
graders.  I eventually changed positions, moved from teaching in the Wycoff 
Public Schools to the Montclair public schools where I taught fourth, and 
fifth grade language arts.  This will be my second year teaching middle 
school at Hammarskjold.  Last year I taught both 7th grade verbal gate and 
6th grade ILA.  This year I decided to focus on sixth grade ILA, you will 
have my full attention. 

After I had left teaching in Newark during the school year, for three 
summers I returned as the Educational Director of Kids Corporation II.  My 
responsibilities included developing and coordinating the implementation of 
three summer school programs for children in the Newark projects as well as 
providing curriculum support and field trip opportunities to twenty other 
Newark summer programs.  

I always believed in my own professional development and participated in 
summer programs for writing at Columbia Teacher’s College as well as 
attended numerous workshops from leaders in field of reading and writing 
such as Reggie Routman, Nancy Atwell, and Lucy Calkins.  Currently I am 
pursuing an advanced degree as a reading specialist from Monmouth 
University.  

In addition to my 11 years of classroom teaching experience, I also spent 
seven years in a multi-faceted position planning, implementing and 
developing programs for children ages three to eighteen.  

I am thrilled to be a part of the Hammarskjold family and look forward to 
working with each student this year.  

Fun Facts:

•	I was a model for a first grade McGraw/Hills Social Studies book in
        1974.
•	I won a trip to Paris on WPLJ radio station.
•	In 7th grade, I successfully completed the NYC five boro bike tour.  
•	I spent a week living on a Navajo Reservation where I learned how to 
        roof a house and together with a team of 5 teenagers removed and     
        replaced a families roof.  
•	I spent six weeks living in London England as an exchange student in
        High School and had the opportunity to meet Margaret Thatcher.  
•	I do Pilates at least once a week.
•	I love to downhill ski.
•	I have a dog named Molly. 
•	My favorite book to this day is Pride and Prejudice.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT ILA

It is my hope during the course of our year together that you gain a love of 
reading, a curiousity for language and the ability to effectively 
communicate your thoughts, feelings and opinions in writing.