The Roanoker July/August 2023 - 86

education
" We take the students outside and have
them use hula hoops and hopper balls to graph
open and closed circles on giant number lines, "
Voss says. " Another fun lesson involves alien
spaceship beams sucking up cows to teach students
about vertical lines. This helps students to
test whether a relation is a function. "
Lynda and Alyssa
Pinello frequently
work together on
lesson plans.
a daily basis.
Pinello believes one of her most creative
lessons is the daily lesson she and co-teacher
Melissa May have devised.
" We start the day with Morning Meeting, "
Pinello says. " Usually there is a greeting, a math
challenge, song, yoga and short video to get
Interestingly, Cardenas Tapia did her student
teaching at Fairview where she went during
grade school. During that time, her supervising
teacher was Ashley Duffy, her former
fourth grade teacher. The school's English as a
Second Language teacher Joanna Sojka became
yet another link to the past as Sojka served in
the same capacity for Cardenas Tapia.
" During my student teaching experience, I
was so blessed to have Mrs. Duffy and Ms.
Sojka mentoring me, " says Cardenas Tapia.
" Now, I work alongside an amazing team of
educators including Scott Stanley and David
Ferris, also my former teachers, and Andrew
Minnix. "
Cardenas Tapia, who is about to begin her
Alyssa Pinello
G.W. Carver Elementary
Alyssa Pinello has been teaching third grade
for eight years, all of them at G.W. Carver. Her
role model is her mother Lynda, a third grade
teacher at East Salem Elementary.
" I have always wanted to be a teacher, but
I think a large part of that was watching my
mom do what she did best, " Pinello says. " She
has inspired me from day one because she
always puts relationships first. She has kids
who still come back to her yearly and remind
her what an impact she's made on their lives.
" I grew up with amazing and inspiring
teachers. My family moved to Salem when I
was in the eighth grade, and I went to Andrew
Lewis Middle and then Salem High School.
Debbie Stratton at the high school was the
one who encouraged me to always pursue my
dreams. She made it known that I was born to
teach and if I didn't, it would truly be a waste
of natural talent. "
Pinello did her teaching internship at East
Salem and was able to work with her mom
daily as well as with other instructors - further
strengthening the bond with her mother, as
well as gaining the perspective of other teachers.
When Pinello started her career at Carver,
the twosome even planned their daily lessons
together, and even today they share resources,
ideas and behavior management techniques on
86 JULY/AUGUST 2023
students engaged. Then we do whole group
math independently in each room. All kids are
put into groups based on ability, and they rotate
to do different activities in each classroom.
" The kids who struggle may have multiple
intervention groups between us and the reading
teacher and other specialists. We have separate
special activity times, but the kids eat lunch
together. There are several subjects throughout
the day where Melissa takes over and teaches
the entire class while I support behavior/academic
struggles and vice versa. This program
has been amazing and we are already seeing
the benefits to the kids being in our classes. "
Nelly Cardenas Tapia
Fairview Elementary
Nelly Cardenas Tapia says her impetus to
become a teacher came from an experience
during her freshman year at Roanoke College.
" I was not intending to go into education, "
says the third grade teacher at Fairview
Elementary. " But Roanoke required students
to volunteer in the community, and I ended up
doing so at Blue Ridge Literacy in a class for
English learners. As an immigrant and English
learner, this experience was inspiring.
" So there I was helping others learn just as
I had years ago. The satisfaction I gained from
serving the community made me want to go
into teaching and continue to serve others in
that capacity. "
TheRoanoker.com
second year as a teacher, also praises Roanoke
City Public Schools BONDS program
(Boosting Opportunities for New Diverse
Staff). She says that her BONDS contact,
Anna Delgado, checks in with her at least
weekly, always available to help her navigate the
ups and downs that all new teachers experience.
Creative Lesson?
" My third grade team has this great lesson
about oceans, " Cardenas Tapia says. " Our
students put on Virtual Reality goggles and
take a tour of the ocean depths as if they were
down there swimming. The kids actually get to
see the animals they are reading about. Later,
when the students write about their VR tour,
they seem to understand so much better what
they experienced. "
The Roanoke Valley is fortunate to have
such dedicated teachers who benefitted from
mentors during their formative years. And now
these teachers are serving as mentors for the
valley's young people. I
Nelly Cardenas
Tapia expresses
gratitude for her
many mentors
at Fairview
Elementary.
COURTESY OF SALEM CITY SCHOOLS / COURTESY OF NELLY CARDENAS TAPIA
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker July/August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker July/August 2023
