Nancy Knell
Ypsilanti,MI
Summary
Proactive Lead Pre-K Teacher and Director with extensive experience in early childhood education, specializing in creative teaching methods and individualized instruction. Skilled in curriculum development, literacy promotion, classroom management, and parent-teacher communication. Bringing a passion for fostering student engagement and growth through innovative strategies and collaborative approaches. Dedicated to supporting emotional, social and academic development of young children. Trained in developmental stages and knowledgeable about offering safe, nurturing environments to boost learning. Desire to complement education-based strategies with techniques to promote overall health and wellness.
Overview
37
37
years of professional experience
Work History
Lead Pre-K Teacher
Teddy Bear Daycare and Learning Center
07.2005 - 08.2024
- Implemented creative teaching methods to make lessons more engaging, leading to higher levels of student interest and participation.
- Enhanced student comprehension by incorporating various learning styles and strategies in lesson planning.
- Collaborated with colleagues on curriculum development and instructional best practices, contributing to a cohesive learning experience for students across grade levels.
- Allowed for ample outdoor discovery time in schedule each day.
- Evaluated student progress through ongoing assessments, providing timely feedback and adjusting instruction as needed to ensure mastery of skills.
- Promoted early literacy skills by introducing age-appropriate reading materials and incorporating phonics instruction into daily lessons.
- Mentored new teachers in the Pre-K program, sharing insights and resources to help them succeed in their roles.
- Consulted with parents to build and maintain positive support networks and support continuing education strategies.
- Monitored students' academic, social, and emotional progress and recorded in individual files.
- Developed weekly lesson plans and activities to engage children and promote learning.
- Gave one-on-one attention to children while maintaining overall focus on entire group.
- Maintained organized, fun and interactive classroom to help children feel safe.
- Established positive communication with parents in daily conversation and formal conferences.
- Assisted and supervised 24 children through entire school day.
Director
Jack And Jill Learning Center
01.1992 - 01.2003
- Developed high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Enhanced team collaboration through regular communication, goal setting, and performance evaluations.
- Strengthened internal controls by reviewing existing policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Implemented innovative solutions to solve complex problems, resulting in increased productivity and streamlined operations.
- Leveraged professional networks and industry knowledge to strengthen client relationships.
- Spearheaded innovative approaches to resource allocation and strategic planning.
- Improved team morale and productivity by implementing comprehensive professional development program.
- Recruited, hired, and trained initial personnel, working to establish key internal functions and outline scope of positions for new organization.
- Implemented business strategies, increasing revenue, and effectively targeting new markets.
Infant/Toddler Teach
Gretchen House
06.1987 - 09.1997
- Assisted with day-to-day operations, working efficiently and productively with all team members.
- Paid attention to detail while completing assignments.
- Adaptable and proficient in learning new concepts quickly and efficiently.
Kindergarten Teacher
Little Lamb Nursery and Kindergarten
09.1987 - 01.1992
- Enhanced classroom management by establishing clear expectations, rules, and routines.
- Delivered lesson plans, implemented school curriculum and used data to create, monitor, and establish personalized learning plan for each student.
- Improved student reading skills by implementing phonics-based instruction and guided reading activities.
- Utilized assessment data to modify instruction and target areas of weakness for individual students.
- Increased parent involvement through regular communication, parent-teacher conferences, and workshops.
- Monitored and evaluated student progress through regular assessments and observations.
- Played games with students to increase understanding of subjects.
- Exercised good classroom management focused on positive behavior support by clearly articulating fair and consistent expectations along with appropriate natural consequences.
- Developed and implemented individualized educational plans for special needs children.
- Strengthened students' problem-solving abilities with integration of thematic units that require critical thinking.
- Organized field trips to local museums and cultural sites, enhancing students' understanding of their community and wider world.
- Promoted culture of reading and learning by setting up classroom library accessible to all students.
- Encouraged creative expression among students through introduction of weekly art projects.
- Delivered structured lessons on readiness skills by emphasizing phonics, language skills, literature, and handwriting.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Content of Methods, Science And Reading
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI04.1987
Skills
- Child Supervision
- Parent-Teacher Communication
- Creative Teaching Strategies
- Group and individual instruction
- Project-based learning
- Literacy development
- Mathematics Instruction
- Science Exploration
- Art and music education
- Classroom Management
- Lesson Planning
- Child CPR and First Aid
Timeline
Lead Pre-K Teacher
Teddy Bear Daycare and Learning Center
07.2005 - 08.2024
Director
Jack And Jill Learning Center
01.1992 - 01.2003
Kindergarten Teacher
Little Lamb Nursery and Kindergarten
09.1987 - 01.1992
Infant/Toddler Teach
Gretchen House
06.1987 - 09.1997
Bachelor of Science - Content of Methods, Science And Reading
Eastern Michigan University
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