2018 Gazette issue 1

24 My name is Cheryl Delzell and I have the extraordinary privilege of being both a parent and teacher at Charlotte Prep. I began my journey here 7 years ago in pre-primary with my son, Casey. I knew immediately I had not only found the perfect school, but I have also found a second home. I am married to a wonderful man, Kip and we have lived in Port Charlotte for the past 16 years. We have three children, Aprii, Eryn, and Casey. Both of my girls have grown up and have moved away. Aprii lives in Tucson, Arizona with her son Patrick, and Eryn who travels around the world currently living in the Netherlands. Our son Casey is 11 and is starting his 6th year at Charlotte Prep. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, from FSW certified to teach K-6 with a Reading and English Speakers of Other Languages Endorsement. I am currently studying at the North American Montessori Center to obtain my 6-9 Montessori teaching certificate. I have always believed in a student-centered learning environment, one where the child can be allowed to learn at his or her own pace in a secure and natural environment. I have found that the Montessori philosophy is the perfect balance for my teaching beliefs. I have found my children all have very different learning styles which has allowed me to recognize this within my students. As a teacher, I believe it is imperative to teach in a way that employs a variety of teaching strategies, and as a mother, I know that each child has very unique individual needs. This quarter in our classroom, we are focusing on parts of speech, beginning our in-depth continent studies with North America, learning about parts of a plant, and classification of vertebrates and non-vertebrates. Our Lower Elementary classes have also been having a lot of fun and learning a great deal with our Fun Friday STEM challenges. This week’s challenge is learning about density with a fun liquid layering activity.