Howdy!  My name is Linda and it is an absolute honor to be working with The Green Dome Project.  I have been working with the children of Austin for 20 years now, and prefer no other way to spend my days.  The synergy that comes from a learner and a supportive educational mentor who holds high expectations, and gets to know the learner to ensure success is magical.   I am in constant awe of having the pleasure to participate in just that each school day. 

Some background on my path here, and just what has shaped my interaction with children-

I am come from a family who grew up with Spanish as our first language.  My parents placed high value in the advantage and privilege that education could bring each of us.  They worked hard and sacrificed much for us to be where we are today.  I graduated from a San Antonio area High School and headed on to earn my Bachelors in Agriculture and Economics from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.  Whoop! This degree led me to a position with a company out of Durham, NC where I realized just how much I did not like being away from my family.  I made it back to Texas during a time when bilingual teachers were in short supply and I jumped right in.  

In the classroom, and working through an alternative certification program, it was trial by fire and I loved it!

I got a couple of years as a first grade teacher, then looped up for a few in second grade followed by finding a niche in 5th grade.  I had the privilege of teaching a handful of the same students for three different grade levels.  Seeing that kind of growth in a young person is spectacular.  In 2007 I was named the Austin ISD GT Teacher of the year by the Austin Gifted and Talented Association for my work in implementing Project Based Learning extensions for students on our campus.  Pushing kiddos to find their own passion and recognize how to best understand the world around them kept my own love of learning going.

I earned my Master of Education in 2009 and kept serving the babies, but this time turned my focus to learn more about literacy and the struggles faced by students with difficulties with language.  I earned my National Board Certification in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy and continued honing my skills in identifying and serving students with reading difficulties in 2016 with comprehensive training in Orton-Gillingham based curriculum for students with dyslexia.

All of this sounding quite academic, it was always done with the idea of a child as a whole human being with many facets to address to lead to a successful learner.  The uncertainty COVID brought had me face a pivotal point where it became clear that the four walls of a classroom are sometimes just that- walls.  Though they provide a physical space where I could always create a safe and nurturing learning environment for my class, they were also quite limiting.  We would open doors and windows, take field trips, build gardens, and create outdoor learning spaces, but always ended up back inside those walls. 

The Green Dome Project offers the best of what children crave in learning.  It makes the setting, the content, and the pace of the learning relevant to the child.  It will be a joy to bring my pedagogical content knowledge and work with the enthusiasm your child innately holds for understanding the world around us all.  I hope to meet your family soon as you join us for this next year!