I am so happy to have the privilege of teaching your child this school year. I am ready for an exciting year! This will be my 19th year of teaching elementary school. Before working in Howard County, I was a teacher in Baltimore County for 17 years. I have taught every grade level, including kindergarten and technology. Fifth grade is definitely my favorite grade to teach for many reasons. I started my career teaching 5th graders (many of which were much taller than I am) at Powhatan Elementary School. Children of this age are interesting to teach because they get my sense of humor and, by this time in their lives, are able to really hold deep discussions on various topics! I love hearing what they have to say!
I am married and have three children of my own ages 15, 12, and 9. Alex is my oldest at 15 and is a sophmore in high school. He plays high school baseball and will be taking driver's ed this year (yikes)! Olivia is 12 and is a 7th grader this year. She plays basketball and is very handy with the camera as she often makes movies when I am not aware that she is doing so! Sam is 9 and he will be in 4th grade. He enjoys Star Wars and would play video games 24/7 if I let him! Outside of school, they keep me very busy! We love to travel and visited Punta Cana this summer and Colorado, Wyoming (Yellowstone), and Montana last year. Disney is a favorite of my kids as we've been there quite a few times as well. I also have two dogs. Comet is a 6 year old golden retriever and is such a big baby! He is 90 lbs. and insists of sitting on us whenever he gets the opportunity! Rocky is our 2 year old puggle (pug & beagle mix) who acts like he is human and thinks he rules our house! He has big eyes that bulge out of his head and thinks we were created to serve him! He is often onery as he often steals items laying around demanding that we chase him!
My philosophy on teaching is very simple - look at each student's needs and and teach them so they can learn! Looking at my own children, I can see the differences in how they learn and realize that one does not learn in the same way as the other. Getting to know my students is crucial to understanding how they learn and how I will teach them. Please know that I will always take excellent care of your child when they are away from you. Being a mom myself, I take great care in what I do.
I am looking forward to getting to know each student and his/her family. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact me at nancy_black@hcpss.org or 410-313-5014