NAME:
Mrs. Coviello
SCHOOL:
Horace W. Porter School
CLASS:
Porter PALS (PreK)
SCHOOL PHONE:
860-228-9493 x 304
I attended Southern Connecticut State University, and earned a BS and MS
in Special Education. The 2009-2010 school year will be my thirty-third year
of teaching! I have worked with students ranging in age from 3 to 16 (at
Eagle Hill School in Greenwich, Tolland Middle School in Tolland, and here at
Porter).
I've been a member of the Porter staff since 1981. As a
Resource Room teacher here at HWP, I taught every subject area at just about
every grade level for many years. In 1993, we established the Porter PALS
program for preschool students. After several years of teaching both
preschool students and Resource Room students (I switched "hats" in the
middle of the day!), I was lucky enough to become a full-time PreK teacher.
I have been in preschool ever since! Last year, I once again became involved
in consulting and assisting at the Kindergarten level. I will most likely
have the good fortune to be working with our wonderful Kindergarten teachers
again this year as we work on differentiating instruction for students at all
levels.
I was born in Stamford,Connecticut,and grew up in Norwalk. As the
oldest of seven children, I started "teaching" at an early age! I now live in
Ellington with my husband. Our daughter, age 20, has begun her third
year of college. The time goes so quickly. She is a Music Education major,
and we are very proud of her.
We love to spend time with our extended family. I also enjoy gardening,
reading, writing, sewing, cooking, genealogy, and Irish
music (I was an Irish dancer throughout my childhood!). As a matter of fact,
I love many types of music, including R&B, jazz, classical, and rock.
I love spending my days with preschoolers. They bring such joy,
enthusiasm, and energy! Along with Dr. Seuss, I, too, believe that "A
person's a person, no matter how small." Every child deserves respect. We
need to take time to listen to our students, to reflect their successes for
them, to use a caring voice free of sarcasm or annoyance, to find something
in their response or behavior that is worthy of positive comment even as we
redirect them to a more appropriate response.
I believe that what works for one child may not work for another. We
need to be open to many different approaches. We need to be keen observers
of children in order to know how they learn best. But there are common
threads that need to be present in all of our classrooms. These include
safety and security, consistent boundaries and clear expectations,
compassion and warmth, and a sense of belonging. We all have gifts as well
as challenges; we can learn from each other, and encourage each other. This
is what my students have taught me, and this is what I try to pass on
through our program.
