Hello, Parents!
My name is Elizabeth (Lizzie) Mesick and I have the privilege of being your child’s fourth grade teacher for this school year. This is my third year with Young Scholars and I know that you’ll want to know about me.
I am from a tiny town in New Jersey called Point Pleasant Beach. When I graduated high school, I attended Susquehanna University and received a degree in Philosophy, which I truly loved. I loved it so much, in fact, that I went on to pursue a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Durham, Durham, UK. When I returned to the states after that degree, I moved to Colorado to be with my college sweetheart, Paul, and we got married a year later in 2000. In 2007 our daughter, Althea, came along. In 2015 we decided that we had had enough snow and moved to State College, my husband’s hometown, with our furry friends in tow.
We now live in the Park Forest area of State college with our 4 year old dog, Rose Tyler, 1 year old dog, Arlo, and our 14 year old cat, Merlin. My whole family enjoys reading and playing outside, as well as being a geek for Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc. We often drink tea together as a family and love to watch a good storm roll by.
It was in Colorado that I discovered my call to teaching. I taught in a school in the high country, living at 10,000 feet above sea level, for 12 years. While I was there we became an IB PYP school and I was an active part of that transition and implementation. I have taught in grades 2, 4, and 5, but fourth grade is my favorite! I love reading aloud to students and believe that fourth graders can get so much from picture books and chapter books. I encourage all students to grow with me by asking questions and trying to achieve their personal best. My classroom is a safe place to make mistakes and to discover new things and I cannot wait to get started.
My classroom may look a bit different to you than you are accustomed to. Last year I implemented a flexible seating model in which all students are able to choose a seat for the day based on where they think they can best learn. While it may look like it is unstructured, it is not. In fact, flexible seating is wonderful because it IS structured and also gives your child CHOICE. I am very pleased with it and am happy to continue using it. If you have questions about it, please let me know!
It is with an open heart and mind that I welcome you to this school year. I hope you and your children are as excited as I am.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth (LIzzie) Mesick