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Jacqueline Heller - Literacy

My principal often says, Get comfortable being uncomfortable. It may


sound off-putting at first but we make decisions at our school based on what
is best for students, not what is comfortable for teachers because we know
nothing great ever came from comfort zones. Two and a half years ago I left
my comfort zone to join the ranks of educators who have had the rare
opportunity to launch a brand new school. Opening the latest elementary
school in Fairfax County and being part of an amazing leadership team has
been the turning point of my career.
Our leadership team shares a common vision, and we have crafted a school
mission that ensures high levels of learning for all, students and adults. As I
look back on my career, I realize that ensuring high levels of learning for all
has always been my personal mission. Throughout the years Ive merely
found myself redefining who is included in my all. At first my mission was
to ensure high levels of learning for all the students in my 4th grade class. As
I changed roles it became all my Reading Recovery students and then all the
teachers I coached.
As a new school we have strategically built an amazing community of
learners who work toward our school mission in such an authentic way that
we attract many visitors and have been asked to present and write about our
process. The experience has inspired me in so many ways and is now
changing the course of my professional plans. I love my job and pictured
myself staying in a school setting long term, but I recently realized I want to
affect change in a bigger way so I am again redefining my all. I am
pursuing doctoral studies in order to expand my platform and deepen my
knowledge so I can work to ensure high levels of learning, not just for the
students and teachers within the walls of my school, but truly for all learners
everywhere.
I plan to consult, present, mentor and teach at the college level. My career
has been shaped daily by my students and staff but also by my professional
heroes Marie Clay, Jan Richardson, and Rick and Becky DuFour. I am beyond
privileged to have met and been inspired by each of these legends in
education. Marie Clays research on early intervention in literacy literally
saved the lives of untold numbers of children by teaching us how to reach
the most struggling readers. From her I have learned to be purposeful,
observant and reflective in my teaching. She has helped me accelerate the
literacy learning of my students and made me strive to continually improve
my practice.
Jan Richardson brought Clays principals mainstream so that not just reading
teachers, but classroom teachers across our nation had the tools to
differentiate reading instruction to meet the needs of their students. I
emulate her passion, insightfulness and resourcefulness when working with
teachers so that I can build their capacity and empower them to be reflective

Jacqueline Heller - Literacy


practitioners. She has taught me to be steadfast in creating a common
language around reading instruction.
The DuFours built the umbrella under which my ideal school would operate.
They taught me how to create a culture of collaboration where teachers work
together and are transparent in focusing on the learning results. Thanks to
their guidance we have created that ideal school and I wouldnt want to
teach and learn anywhere else. After meeting with Rick and Becky DuFour
and their associates at a conference in San Antonio this summer I knew I
couldnt just go back to my school and blithely continue the journey we have
started. Its not that our staff doesnt have much to do, and learn, and
improve as we continue on our journey, but when so many teachers, schools,
and districts across the nation are just trying to figure out how begin that
journey I feel compelled to share the benefit of our experiences. By the time
my plane left San Antonio I had watched the orientation video for George
Masons PhD program, took the GREs at the end of the month and began a
class as a non-degree student last week. I am blessed to be the mother of
amazing twin teenagers and had been thinking about what challenges I
wanted to prepare myself to take on when they leave for college. Now that I
see the path I want to follow I cant wait to move forward.
After being a Reading Recovery teacher for eight years and a Literacy Leader
for the last four years I am ready to pursue a major in Literacy. As a Mentor
Resource Teacher and coach for beginning teachers at our school I realize the
importance of building the capacity of teachers so I also plan to minor in
Teacher Education.
My own education has taken an unusual path since I graduated from the
University of Virginia with a finance degree. After a few years in the business
world I wanted a change and thought Id use my finance skills as a middle
school math teacher. I enrolled in George Masons innovative Professional
Development School because it offered a full year internship rather than the
traditional few weeks of student teaching. The PDS program prepared me so
well for that epic first year of teaching that most people did not believe I was
a new teacher. Much of who I am today as an educator is still a reflection of
my cooperating faculty. The job embedded professional development I
received as a fully integrated staff member during that internship set me off
on my new career with great confidence. I am now seeking a PhD in
Education from GMU because I am certain the experience will give me that
same sense of confidence when I defend my dissertation and am fully
prepared to again step out of my comfort zone and begin this next venture in
my career.

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