You're Invited! Please join in on a virtual sharing session for secondary teachers of ELA and literacy. This virtual meeting will be a platform for teachers to share innovative ideas and resources that are working, as well as to collaborate and brainstorm with other teachers to find creative solutions to the unique challenges we face in teaching ELA this year. Sessions will run the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 3:45-4:45pm MST. Late arrivals and early exits welcome! Please visit our Calendar of Fall 2020 OPI Virtual Sharing Sessions page for more information, including the Zoom links and iCalandar invites.  

September 15th is National Online Learning Day!  The OPI Teacher Learning Hub has incredible resources and outstanding professional learning options to help you level-up your online and digital teaching skills! Visit the OPI Academic and Remote Learning Resources page or check out this Available Professional Development Takeaway List, both of which include helpful links and PD course offerings. Learn at your own pace or in live webinars. New to online learning or feeling stuck?  Develop your repertoire of skills so that you are ready to engage your students in online learning while unlocking the unique benefits of a digital platform in our Intro to Online Learning Course.  OPI Renewal Units are available for most Professional Learning Opportunities.

Resource Gold Mine! Save your precious planning time and check out these incredible, free, standards-based resources from vetted leaders in the ELA field. International Literacy Foundation and National Council of Teachers of English collaborate as membership organizations with readwritethink to provide excellent, free classroom resources, lesson plans, and professional development training for both in-person and remote learning platforms. My Favorites:  Interactive Trading Cards (3-12), Interactive Venn Diagram (K-12), Interactive Timeline (K-12) , Action ABC's: Learning Vocabulary with Verbs (K-2), Action is Character: Exploring Character Traits with Adjectives (6-8), and Weekly Writer's Blogs (9-12).

We want to thank Christy for her incredible service to the OPI for the last five years. Christy's innovative and helpful professional leadership has empowered teachers and enriched classrooms across Montana in so many ways! We are sad to see her go but wish her the very best in her new endeavor as a literacy coach for Helena Middle School.  We know that they are getting an absolute star and an incredible asset to their school! Please join me in adding a thank you or best wishes on our Jamboard virtual thank you card.  We know Christy is an advocate of writing education, so please also use this opportunity to explore the incredible versatility and ease of use of Google Jamboard, a digital collaborative whiteboard tool, in the hopes that it will be a useful tool to you in your ELA classroom for facilitating discussion and writing!  

I'm thrilled to join the OPI as the new ELA-Literacy Specialist where I hope to serve and support Montana teachers across the state. I believe that as teachers of English Language Arts we are charged with the most important challenge in the world: facilitating our students' growth into champions! Students who can read critically and harness the full might of their voices (both written and spoken) are empowered for life and will contribute to building a better society. I believe in the capacity of ELA teachers to do this and am here to help you achieve! Please reach out to me for support and resources.  I look forward to collaborating with you on this journey! 

I earned my bachelors in English Teaching and initial secondary licensure from UM in 2010 as both a Project LETTERS and Americorps Service-Learning Scholar. I am committed teaching IEFA and cultural responsiveness with integrity, fidelity, and a commitment to listening and learning. I have taught grades 6-12 in both rural and urban schools in Washington and Montana, and I spent several summers teaching English with UM's TRIO Upward Bound. My master's program began with UM's Montana Writing Project where I focused on the benefits of Arts Integration in the ELA classroom through creative writing. It also included a Teaching Assistantship as a College Composition instructor. I was an MBI/MTSS Facilitator for Ronan Middle School as well as an Academic Bowl coach and a Speech and Debate Coach for Ronan High School. I love dystopian science fiction, knitting, tea, chocolate, and exploring Montana's great outdoors with my 2-year-old, two doggos, and my fellow English teacher husband.