Dr. Amy Whitener, a virtual teacher at Ooltewah Elementary of Hamilton County Public Schools (TN), has been named the Open Up Resources EL Education K–8 Language Arts Teacher of the Month for December.
Whitener’s work with EL Education K–8 Language Arts makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The EL Education K–8 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.
Whitener has taken on the challenge of not only teaching completely virtually during 2020 but also implementing the EL Education K–8 Language Arts curriculum for the first time. She has tackled this challenge using the digital learning platform, Kiddom.
Her students have found much success during the Fall of 2020 thanks to her innovation and dedication to making the best of virtual learning. “My students are a success story on their own,” she shared. “They have persevered during a trying time of challenging learning situations. These students are the real superheroes.”
Whitener credits part of that success to the protocols that are embedded within the curriculum. “The curriculum creates procedures and structures that students need,” she said. “In addition, Kiddom makes the curriculum universally accessible to everyone while the online functionality and editable features make it a fluid experience.”
When asked what advice she would give to a teacher new to navigating the curriculum she shared that it is important to “Keep a growth mindset, be flexible, and learn from your mistakes.”
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.
EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) is redefining student achievement in diverse communities across the country. Founded over 20 years ago through the collaboration of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Outward Bound, EL Education operates a national network of more than 150 high-achieving public schools serving over 4,000 teachers and 50,000 students, often in high-need communities.
EL Education creates great public schools where they are needed most. In addition, EL Education leverages its expertise to bring powerful resources to schools nationally: the organization provides curriculum, masterful coaching, and professional development, and publishes a portfolio of award-winning, educator-developed materials.
EL Education’s deep education expertise is simply unparalleled among materials developers. Learn more about EL Education here.