Mrs. Chrystall

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Welcome Back 2017/18

I am so excited to begin a new school year in my new position as the Gifted & Talented Differentiation (GTD) resource teacher. I am so lucky that I get to work directly with so many students this year across ALL grade levels in math and English language arts (ELA)! I will provide direct services to students through a combination of going into classrooms to co-teach as well as pulling students out for enrichment lessons. In addition to my direct contact with students, I get to work with all the amazing Mann teachers to help create a challenging learning environment and expand classroom differentiation practices.

As you may know, this is a transition year for our GTD program in District 97, so I am looking forward to helping parents, teachers, and students adjust and grow from the improvements this change will bring to our school. We must work together to offer all children the valuable learning opportunities; we must challenge and support all of our students. Change is hard, but by working together, I know we can create an excellent program that will enrich all of our students' school experiences.

My experience has prepared me for this role in this transitional year. I attended Illinois State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in education. As soon as I finished my student teaching experience in Chicago Public Schools, I started working in Oak Park District 97. I spent the first ten years of my teaching career at Percy Julian Middle School teaching 6th grade; over the course of my time there I taught math, science, reading, language arts and integrated studies. I love teaching all the subjects, but my true passion is math education. During my time at Julian, I went back to school not once, but twice to earn two masters degrees (life-long learner here). One is a Masters in Curriculum & Instruction from Concordia University, and the other is a Masters in Leadership & Administration from Saint Xavier University. After ten years at Julian, I was ready for a new challenge, so I accepted a position to teach 4th grade here at Mann School. I taught fourth grade for three years and loved it. When I heard the district was starting to make changes to the GTD program, I knew I had to be a part of this change.