Emily Lavender, a 5th-grade teacher at Lemons Mill Elementary School of Scott County Public Schools (KY), has been named the Open Up Resources EL Education K–5 Language Arts Teacher of the Month for February. 

Lavender’s work with EL Education K–5 Language Arts makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The EL Education K–5 Language Arts curriculum inspires a new way of teaching language arts by engaging students through compelling, real-world content to build equitable and inclusive learning opportunities.

Although Lavender admits that adopting a new curriculum can be a big adjustment she says, “The real-life connections students are able to make between character, science, and social studies within their Language Arts Block made it all worth it.” 

In fact, Lavender’s students love learning in her fifth-grade classroom so much that they are genuinely sad to see their year and module explorations coming to an end. “I will never forget the first time my students found out that we were starting our final module. They had reached a point where they were so excited and motivated about reading and writing that they didn’t want it to end, and as a teacher that meant everything to me,” she shared. 

Lavender’s best advice for anyone considering EL Education K–5 Language Arts is, “Jump in and do it. This curriculum is truly transforming for the teacher and students and is designed to increase access and equity—and there is nothing better than watching all students succeed in amazing ways.”

Open Up Resources is a non-profit on a mission to increase equity in education by making excellent, top-rated curricula freely available to districts. You can learn more at www.openupresources.org. Learn more about and join our communities here.