Classes

Hi! I’m Giselle Esther Gonzàlez Vendrell. I am from San Juàn, Puerto Rico. I started out my life as a college student wanting to be a vet. I have a Bachelor of Science degree but after graduation, I got interested in education. I completed my Masters Degree in Education at UMASS Amherst, and I have been teaching for almost 14 years now! I taught at Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School in Springfield for 6 years. I am completing my 8th year here at Pelham Elementary as a 1st grade teacher.

I love being a first grade teacher! At this age, kids LOVE to learn! They like to ask questions and share everything they know. I like to integrate science into everything as much as possible.  You will always find a class pet in our classroom each year. We’ve had guinea pigs, rabbits, bearded dragons, and crayfish as pets. As part of our science units, we learn about Monarchs and Embryology. That means that you will find Monarch caterpillars in the fall, and chicken eggs incubating in the spring!  We also learn about Air and Weather throughout the year, and we also enjoy learning about Light and Sound Waves throughout a very hands-on unit.

If you come into the first grade you will see a lot of bright colors, kids smiling, moving and having fun as they learn. I strongly believe in students having as many physical breaks as possible. That’s why we have a lot of different recess times but we also get the work done! You will also see students working, sitting at a table, sitting on the rug, and using different kinds of chairs.  Our classroom has flexible seating, students enjoy taking turns using different seating as they need.

I am currently in my sixteenth year teaching- eight in Springfield, eight here at Pelham. My teaching is very much guided by Alice Walker’s idea that “I imagine teaching as a circle of earnest people sitting down to ask each other meaningful questions. I don’t see it as a handing down of answers.” Community is a very important part of my teaching philosophy. Not only creating a strong, loving, and joyful community in our class, but also helping the children to discover what their rights and responsibilities are as members of various communities throughout their lives. Some of my favorite units of study are Mohandas Gandhi and Satyagraha, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Civil Rights, and Women’s History. Through these units, we explore issues of justice and the ways in which we all have the capacity to be heroes. We will also interweave various service projects into the curriculum. Additionally, we do some fun hands-on and research based Science units including Force and Motion, Soil, a research unit in which we learn about a variety of animals, and an engineering unit. Second grade is a time of major academic and emotional growth, and I love being a part of the journey with my students. We read, we explore, we talk, we do a lot of movement- including handstand Fridays!- and we laugh a lot. We also enjoy some cat stories about my much loved (and MUCH talked about!) cats, Marvin and Bernard. I like to have a structured, productive classroom, but there is always time for silliness and fun!

Classroom Paraeducator: Ms. Dawn Sawula

Special Education Teacher: Ms. Leanne Hunt

A Message From Ms. LaPlante

This is my 17th year in education and I have been teaching at Pelham since 2017. I have always been drawn to small-school communities and Pelham Elementary is just that! I love working in a school where children feel known and seen, and where teachers can build lasting partnerships with students and families. I believe each child’s natural curiosity is a springboard for deep learning experiences. In third grade, we lay the foundation for a growth mindset so that learning becomes a joyful and lifelong pursuit. I want my students to see themselves as change-makers, scientists, mathematicians, writers, and researchers.

I’ve taught third, fourth, and fifth grade over the years and have worked in schools in Amherst, Greenfield, Taiwan, Washington State, and Guatemala. I love what I do and third grade is my absolute favorite grade to teach. Third graders are increasingly independent, ready to take on challenges, and -best of all- full of silly humor!

Third grade is a year of unbridled growth, as students build on their learning from earlier years to gain deeper knowledge, ask big questions, and develop their skills as self-motivated and independent learners. Third graders are an industrious bunch and tend to enjoy the increase in responsibility that the next year of school brings. 

I have been teaching at Pelham for 23 years.  Before Pelham, I taught for 3 years on the island of Guam. I have always taught 5th grade, and can’t imagine teaching anything else.  Every new school year I feel the same excitement that I felt 26 years ago on my first day with my own classroom. There is something magical about starting a new school year. I love teaching for many reasons. I love seeing excitement, and light bulbs going off in a student’s eyes when a new concept clicks. I love reading books to them and there is such intense silence in the room because the students are enthralled in the book and care about the characters. I love teaching them history, science, reading, writing and a love for math. I believe in high standards, holding kids accountable, and helping all kids be as successful as possible both academically and socially. By the time the kids reach 5th grade, they are often like brothers and sisters. They know each other so well and are supportive of each other and each other’s differences. Pelham is a special place and I am proud to be part of the family.

I’ve been lucky enough to be the 6th grade teacher at Pelham School since 2008, and a fan of Pelham School since my (now adult) children attended and I caught the vision of how well a small school knows and values every learner in the community. I think the 6th graders are the coolest students in the building because of their deep curiosity about the world, their laugh-out-loud sense of humor and their incredibly clever ideas that make our class better. Being the main teacher of ELA, science, math and history for our 6th grade students means we get to know each other well, and I do my best to help them develop the skills they’ll need to be independent and successful in middle school. There are so many elements of our days and curriculum that I enjoy, including the daily Read Aloud time and talking about favorite books with students; our inquiry-driven science curriculum where students guide our investigations; the daily mindfulness and movement breaks; connecting and building empathy in our Restorative Circles; and developing our civic literacy by paying attention and making a difference.