Emelie Parker

Teaching came naturally to Emelie Parker. "After having three daughters and foster children, having a child care center in my home, and being a Brownie leader, teaching Sunday School, and volunteering in classrooms, I found I was naturally teaching all the time and loved it! I went back to school to finish my degree and to learn how to teach. I'm still learning how to teach and still love it."

Emelie received her master's degree from the University of North Florida in early childhood education. She's been a teacher for kindergarten through grade six, and a writing and math resource teacher.  She consults and speaks at county, state, and national conferences, as well as at individual elementary schools and at university classes and conferences. She was a literacy coach for Fairfax County Schools (Virginia) for many years; she now volunteers with Community Coalition for Haiti Education.

In professional development settings, she likes to lead teachers to examine their own present practices and take away a few new techniques or strategies to help their students progress. She builds her sessions on Cambourne's Conditions for Learning, Vygtosky's Zone of Proximal Development, and Gallagher and Pearson's Gradual Release of Responsibility.

"We share our own stories and discuss videos and pictures of the new learning in actual classrooms. Then we have time to explore our next steps together."

Emelie has over twenty years of experience working with English language learners. She is a grandmother to seven grandchildren.