Leslie Dickson

As of this year, I have 14 Years of Classroom Experience - 7 years as an Educational Assistant and 7 years as a classroom teacher. As an Educational Assistant, I gained experience working in almost all grades K-12. As a teacher, I started my career in grade 7 and 8 English Language Arts, Mathematics and Social Studies. Three years ago, I made the switch to high school. I am currently teaching English, History and Global Issues.

My teaching style varies depending upon the students, the class and the day and time of the week. I have a preference for experiential, inquiry-based and activity-based teaching, however, direct instruction, also has its place.

Social Studies Department Head

Bachelor of Arts (History) Bachelor of Arts (Archaelogy) Pre-Masters in Anthropology Bachelor of Education Post-baccalaureate in Education (Literacy)

I have developed a passion/obsession for adolescent literacy during the past two years. Like me, I'm sure many of you are struggling with the concept of balancing curriculum with a huge range of academic abilities in the classroom. My goal is to create adaptable units and activities that will support the struggling student and challenge the above-level student. Therefore, I've tried to incorporate guided lessons in text structures, reading comprehension strategies, and where possible, explicit reading instruction in most of my lessons.