My special education inclusion class contains 24 hardworking students representative of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. While some students have learning differences, all the students are expected to perform toward the upper edge of their zone of proximal development.

As a National Board Certified Teacher, I know the importance of differentiating instruction and including within each assignment an academic, social, and metacognitive goal. In order to ensure that no child is left behind in the march toward deepened intellectual engagement and citizenship, I ensure that all projects help students to answer:

1. What did I learn from this assignment?
2. How does this connect to the world?
3. As a lifelong learner, what information did I learn about myself as a student that I can bring to the next assignment?

Students work collaboratively and cooperatively. Each person brings the benefit of a diverse wealth of experiences found within the classroom. Students travel up to 90 minutes from their homes to get to school. In doing so, each student brings with them differences that enrich the pool of academic experiences transcending the four walls of the classroom.