Elizabeth Streit, a third grade teacher at Spring Mill Elementary, uses innovative strategies to develop a strong classroom community where students feel safe to take risks and share their questions, feelings, and ideas. Elizabeth employs Responsive Classroom techniques, developing the social and academic skills of her students through practices such as “morning meeting,” “genius hour,” and inquiry-based lessons. Elizabeth also invests beyond her classroom to better her school and wider community. She collaborates with her grade-level team to develop units of study aligned with International Baccalaureate curricula. She also serves as a Positive Behavior Support Coach, guiding colleagues towards a schoolwide use of Responsive Classroom strategies. Additionally, she serves as a STEM mentor to a first year colleague, heads her school’s Keep Indianapolis Beautiful club, and has plans to begin an after-school Robotics Club with eight English Language Learners.
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