Melissa has taught 7th grade Language arts and social studies at Stevens since 2002 where her classes include high need, high risk and highly capable students.
Melissa approaches teaching as a multi-sensory endeavor. Her classroom is alive with colors, wall hangings and other decorations, and her curriculum is equally engaging. Creating their own board games and writing children’s books keep Melissa’s students invested in their learning and having fun.
Melissa embraces the challenges in education today as opportunities for evolution. The year after she arrived at Stevens, Melissa and a group of colleagues spent the year investigating the concept of Continuous School Improvement. The next year Melissa applied what she learned to help created a standards based calendar for her school in reading and writing. She seeks out opportunities to explore new techniques and curriculum models, and returns to Stevens and her colleagues brimming with resources and enthusiasm.
Melissa sees language arts as a bridge between the many different subjects that students must master. Communication and critical thinking, she argues, are essential skills in any discipline, and students need to know how to use them. Melissa is also passionate about empowering students to become leaders. Last year she nominated a small group of students to attend a national leadership conference in Washington DC and worked with them throughout the year to make this dream a reality.
For all of Melissa’s 7th graders, her classes are captivating. She expertly weaves content and experiences together to create an environment where students see connections between literature and their own lives, where they learn that they have the power to change the world and where they can’t resist learning.
One student reflects on Melissa’s impact on her life: “She’s more than a teacher. I’ll always look up to her, seeing her as one of the people who have influenced me in my life – and I’ll always look back on my seventh grade year and think of how lucky I was to be able to experience all that I did, thanks to Mrs. McBride.”