In Seattle Public Schools, psychologists support educational excellence in each classroom. With background in both education and psychology, these specialists work closely with teachers to develop the most effective learning package for each individual child.
Depending on the specific needs of each school, a psychologist may:
-help a teacher identify a student’s needs, strength, and learning styles
-assist a teacher with effective instruction and behavior management
-participate in the multidisciplinary team evaluation for Special Education services
-promote communication between the home and the school
-and many more
I am a true outdoorsman who loves to fish, camping, and going on hikes and enjoying the scenery of the Northwest. I am a DIY addict who likes to build things and make my visions a reality. I am a sportaholic who loves all sports that competes. I’m a 206 everything fan, the Seahawks, The SuperSonics, Mariners, Sounders, Kraken, Storm, and most of all I’m a Garfield Bulldog, and WSU alumni. Go Cougs!
At Eckstein, we have defined three components to achieve our school’s vision: Eckstein Middle School, a diverse community of lifelong learners, will ensure the academic, social, and emotional growth and success of each student. Individual Differentiation: We work actively to differentiate our teaching practices through professional development that includes peer learning walks, expert presenters, collaborative all staff half-days and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Our learning community is diverse and has unique interests and backgrounds. We seek to engage each and every one of our learners through interesting learning activities that create critical thinking opportunities. Our increased staff training and student use of technology increases engagement and differentiates content. Eckstein is also the Seattle School District concept test site for Office 2016 in classrooms.
Building Cultural and Social/Emotional Competencies:
Our students are part of a rich and diverse global community. To be effective leaders and decision makers in the greater global community, we must understand, appreciate and value the stories, backgrounds and diverse views within our community. Eckstein staff actively works to integrate experiences, multicultural perspectives and curriculum into the classroom, as well as exploring concepts like empathy within historical and current events. With this goal in mind, I am working closely with the Eckstein PTSA to bring speakers and performers to school to address topics such as Human Rights, African American History and Understanding Islamic Culture. Over a three year cycle, students at Eckstein will be exposed to a broad tapestry of cultural and historical perspectives.
Engaging with Students and Families in Meaningful Ways:
Middle School is often the time that students start to naturally ‘disconnect’ from adults, but we know that students still need us – all of us. This year, Eckstein expanded a series of very successful programs to connect with students, especially those who may need extra support at school. These include a teacher mentoring program, 6th grade Power Club, LGBTQ+ group, WEB ‘Where Everyone Belongs’ a peer mentoring program) and one-on-one tutoring. As a focus of our professional development, we seek to connect with students and work to implement restorative justice policies, simple strategies (such as 5 to 1: 5 positive to 1 negative). In the upcoming year, we will explore ways to connect our work more meaningfully with families. We are so appreciative of the many parents and guardians who volunteer as hall monitors, garden helpers, recycling volunteers, field trip chaperones and more. Next year we plan to schedule even more family-friendly activities like our first-ever Family Bingo Night, which was a huge success! I hope families will come to PTSA meetings and be a part of this conversation and the work required to make it happen. It is exciting!
