All About Me

Call me Mrs. Gagner, if you please. My pronouns are she/her. I am the lead learner in The Gagner Gang, a premier grade six community located in Room D-12!

 

I have been teaching for about 15 years and started my career at BES as a literacy educational assistant... in the classroom where I teach now! In addition to my elementary teaching license, I have a PK-12 Literacy endorsement, a Master of Educational Leadership, and a Master of Education in Literacy. I am also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher and social-emotional learning facilitator. My husband and I live in Starksboro with our dogs (Willow and Rainbow) and cat (Ace). We like to eat yummy food, watch good movies, drive to fun places, and spend time on the front porch in the summer or in front of the woodstove in the winter.

 

I am the integrated Humanities teacher on the Sixth Grade D-Wing Dream Team, which means that I help students explore art, history, geography, and culture through the lens of mastering speaking, writing, and reading our language. We study European history from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance with a focus on England. That's mostly because it's one of my favorite places to visit (I try to go at least once a year!) and I LOVE Shakespeare. There will be plenty of music, creativity, critical thinking, theatre, mindfulness, adventures, laughs, and fun during your fantastic final year as a BES Bobcat!

 

I use an instructional and management approach called the Modern Classroom and am currently working on a credential as a distinguished educator of this type of teaching practice. Modern Classroom classrooms are different than almost any other kind of classroom. There is a focus on student autonomy, independence, and responsibility, and we lean heavily on technology, which means that students learn asynchronously; activities are self-directed and students work at their own pace toward proficiency in our learning targets. You will almost never see me standing up at the whiteboard conducting a whole-group lesson because everyone is always working on something different! Modern Classrooms benefit engaged and motivated learners of all abilities because students get on-going feedback and multiple opportunities to practice a skill or learn a concept. As a teacher, it helps me see more students individually and in small groups and it gives me such a better idea of who they are as learners. Modern Classrooms is such a great way to learn and teach!