Tamar Fields — Reading and Writing Specialist
Years as a teacher: 20
Years at LGA: 13
Grades/subjects you teach:
Currently I am a part-time reading/writing specialist at LGA a well as working as a private reading tutor. I have worked as a private reading tutor for 15 years in the Northampton community. In the past I have taught 3rd grade Hebrew and Judaics and led Tefillah and Kabbalat Shabbat. Before that I taught Creative Movement to young children.
Why did you become a teacher?
Teaching is in my nature and I love being around children. I love deconstructing a topic and figuring out how to explain it to someone. And I love the the mind of a child. In college I thought I was going to be all sorts of things, most certainly not a teacher because that was so stereotypically gender normative. But I eventually realized that teaching was my calling and where I can make a positive impact in the world.
What drew you to teach at LGA? What do you love about teaching here?
I fell in love with LGA when my eldest son started LGA in his Kindergarten year and started to learn Hebrew by talking with the puppets Dan and Tali. I love that at LGA I get the opportunity to form strong bonds with my students and help them to become confident learners. I love that LGA has a strong social/emotional curriculum and a strong Tikkun Olam curriculum.
What is your favorite topic to teach and why?
My favorite way to teach is using multisensory tools and crafting every lesson to meet the individual needs of my students. If my student loves gymnastics then we will do cartwheels after a challenging lesson. If my student grooves to music then we will sing about the language rule. If my student is stressed out then we will find techniques to center our thinking and refocus.
What is your favorite activity that you do with students outside of the main curriculum?
My favorite thing to do with my students is give them opportunities to learn about their strengths and weaknesses and implement strategies to help them become more confident and joyful.
What makes your classroom time unique?
When students come to work with me they know that they are safe to unload and share whatever is on their mind because I will always offer them a compassionate ear. They also know that they will have successful experiences while learning in my classroom.
What are some projects you’ve done that kids really love and why?
Last year I gave my young struggling readers an opportunity to write, illustrate, and self publish a hardcover book. The results were fantastic. No better way to empower struggling readers then to make them authors!