My name is Miss Marisa Tasky! I am a current first grade teacher at a private Catholic school, Our Lady of Sorrows, in Farmington Hills, MI. I currently live in Clawson, MI. I grew up in Farmington Hills, MI, and attended elementary and middle school at Our Lady of Sorrows School. Later, I attended Mercy High School in Farmington Hills. After, I moved to East Lansing, MI, where I attended Michigan State University, and I received my bachelor of Arts in Education. Currently, I am working on my Masters of Arts in Education (MAED) from Michigan State University. Go Green!
My hobbies include reading, kayaking, travelling, cross-stitching, skiing, golfing, playing softball, and enjoying life with friends and family. I am still a huge fan of Michigan State sports, particularly men's basketball and football, and I enjoy grabbing drinks with family and friends to watch every game! I also enjoy spending my summers with my family up north in a small town called Onekama, MI. During the school year, I tutor students during after school hours.
I have been lucky enough to work alongside some of my best friends - ones I have met on the job and ones I have known prior to my job. My current school provides 8th graders a chance to go to Washington D.C. during their final days of middle school. One of my friends, who is an amazing 8th grade history teacher, organized this trip. I was able to experience this trip for the first time since I was a student, alongside some of the greatest coworkers in May 2022!
Miss Tasky's Future Goals
I am a planner. Like many educators, I spend hours planning in preparation for my classroom, for events and goals in my personal life, and often for things that most definitely are out of my control. I like to be prepared, so planning ahead eases the uncomfortableness that comes with planning for the future. The future can be a scary thing, but it can also be something exciting, something to look forward to. More times than not I have accomplished my goals for the future. Although it is scary to look towards the future, I have little doubt that I will eventually be able to accomplish the goals I have set for my future. Three goals I have set for my future-self are:
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becoming a school interventionist.
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being a go-to tutor outside of school hours.
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mastering curriculum, experiencing, and teaching all elementary grades K-3.
Miss Tasky: Interventionist
What is an interventionist?
According to Dr. Kelly S. Meier, of CHRON, "an intervention teacher plays a key role in assisting students who are experiencing difficulties in the classroom...an intervention teacher provides expertise and intentional support to students who demonstrate behavioral, social, and educational challenges." As a school interventionist, I would, in conjunction with other educators, help identify students who are falling behind in core subject areas, recognize their target areas of growth, and create a plan to help students reach their full potential.
Why do you want to be a school interventionist?
In my opinion, there is no better feeling than seeing that "light bulb turn on" after a student finally understands a concept and can complete a task independently. I most often see this "light bulb switch" happen when I am working one-on-one with students. Seeing their frustration turn into complete joy and satisfaction, after hours of patient work is wonderful to celebrate and be a part of. Personally, I find working in small groups, or one-on-one with students makes it easier to target skills that students need to work on. It is also easier to create lessons that my student is most interested in. I can receive feedback from students about what they like and what they do not like while learning, to make school as fun as possible.
How can you accomplish this goal?
I can accomplish this goal by completing a Master's of Arts in Teaching Curriculum degree through Michigan State University. This additional endorsement to my degree would qualify me in many districts to be a school literacy interventionist. Through this degree, I would expand my knowledge of analyzing what a student needs, formulating interventions, communicating with parents and staff, and analyzing student data.
The paper above showcases my ability to re-purpose a lesson plan that incorporates technology into the classroom. This lesson plan is a cross-curricular lesson plan that includes science, writing, reading, and technology.
Miss Tasky: Go-To Tutor
Why do you want to be a tutor?
Students are increasingly more behind in school for the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students, parents, and educators are scrambling to find reliable resources to get their students back on track. I want to be the go-to-tutor for families at my school and surrounding areas as an option for extra help. I strive to make my tutoring sessions as beneficial as possible, while still having fun. In my future, I would like to provide additional support throughout the school year, as well as during the summer, to prevent the "summer slide."
How will you become an effective tutor?
Eventually, I would like to be trained in the popular, effective Orton Gillingham phonics program. This would help me become a more effective teacher and tutor. According to Orton Gillingham's website, "the Orton-Gillingham Approach is a direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy when reading, writing, and spelling does not come easily to individuals, such as those with dyslexia." This program is ideal for educators who frequently have students who need extra help, or one-on-one assistance (or students who I will likely tutor!). This program will also help me instruct students in small-groups in my classroom.
Miss Tasky: Elementary Education Master
Master of Elementary Education? What does that mean?
In Miss Tasky's own words, it means having major experience teaching all elementary grades (K-3). I want to be comfortable and confident teaching any of these grades. This would be helpful for teaching students in any grade who are above and below benchmark. It would also help me accomplish my goals for being a school interventionist, as well as a tutor, because I will understand the curriculum and expectations of each grade. Eventually, I would consider expanding my experience into the upper grades as well!
What can you do to accomplish this goal?
First, in order to teach Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, I would need to obtain my early childhood and special education endorsement (ZS). Through this program, I would add additional experience and knowledge about teaching younger students, which would allow me to accomplish my dreams of teaching all lower elementary grades, including Kindergarten.
Finally, once I am ready for a change, I can discuss with administrators what the next steps could be in mastering a new grade level.
