Hi! My name is Mrs. Puishys, and I am the Reading Specialist here at Park Ave. Elementary School. I received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education 1-6 through Westfield Stage College in 1985. In 1991 I graduated from Worcester State College with a Master's Degree in Reading K-12. I have been a member of the Webster Public School District since December 1986. I have taught many, many students over the years. Now I find myself teaching the children of my former students! Where did the time go?! Over the course of the past 30+ years I have had many different assignments across various grade levels. I have been a classroom teacher in kindergarten, first grade, third grade, fourth grade, and sixth grade. (I did my student teaching in second grade.) If you were to ask me what my favorite grade to teach was I would have to answer "all of them". I can honestly say that every class has been my favorite! Reading has always been a passion for me. I fondly remember listening to a recording of my second grade reading teacher reading "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in her Australian accent. I listened to that poem so many times that still today I can recite the beginning of the poem from memory! Throughout my elementary school years I found myself drawn to particular genres such as Autobiographies and Historical Fiction. It seemed a rather odd choice of reading material for an elementary school student to borrow from the school library (at least at that time). I was also quite the familiar face at the public library. So it's no surprise to me that I ended up in my current position as the Reading Specialist. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a strong proponent of Phonics. I believe we need to build strong foundational reading skills as we work to instill a love of reading into all of our students. Reading should not be seen as a chore but as an opportunity. My goal is to help students discover that opportunity that will provide them with the keys to discovering the world around us.

Links:

TumbleBooks - https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/Home.aspx?categoryID=77

Poetry - https://www.poetry4kids.com/

Starfall - https://www.starfall.com/h/

Story Time From Space (read by astronauts) - https://storytimefromspace.com/