Staff Spotlight: RaeAnna Gottlieb
Posted on 02/12/2024
Who are you?
My name is RaeAnna Gottlieb or Ms. Gottlieb and I teach kindergarten at Bordeaux Elementary School. I have been teaching for three years, all three in the Shelton School District.
How did Shelton School District set you up for success when you first started your job here?
When I first started working here, I had, and still have amazing mentors supporting me. Sharee Strickland, and Lora Rhoades, both kindergarten teachers at Bordeaux, have been amazing mentors. During my first year, Lora would take time before school to sit down with me and review the week’s lesson plan. Christine Chamberlain, TOSA (Teacher On Special Assignment) - Instructional Coach PK-6, has been very supportive and has coached me with my organizational skills and helping me with conferring.
My principal, Kyle O’Neil has been an amazing support person. During my first year teaching, I made mistakes but he was always there to help guide me through them and help me grow as an educator.
I have also benefited and grown as a teacher from professional development opportunities provided by the district.
Why do you like working here?
One of the reasons I like working here is because of the wide demographic of students. There is so much diversity in our school and I enjoy learning about my students and their unique personalities. I love the wonder students have and seeing when a student finally ‘gets it’.
I also have an amazing team here at Bordeaux Elementary School that works well together. We can all lean on each other for support and learn from each other.
What is your favorite subject to teach?
My favorite subject to teach is reading. There is so much growth that happens during kindergarten and it is gratifying when reading ‘clicks’ for my students.
How has your classroom changed since getting a classroom library?
The students have shown a lot more interest in books since we got our classroom library and I have seen their love for books grow. I’ve noticed that they have taken more ownership of their reading and they get especially excited to move up in reading levels. I had one student whose primary language was Spanish - they would get so excited when they would learn new words while reading books that they would shout the word out loud.
How do you make your students feel safe and welcome in your classroom?
I try to learn each of my students' stories by asking about themselves and staying interested in what they have to share. I learned that one of my students came from a hard home life, so I started doing that student’s hair when they came to school in the morning. During that time, we would just talk in hopes of helping them feel safe and welcome in my classroom.