Dear Reader,

My name is Nani Vercruyssen and I am a second grade teacher at August Ahrens Elementary in
Waipahu, HI. This portfolio demonstrates assignments and activities that I participated in
throughout my masters program at Michigan State University. I knew I wanted to be a teacher
from a very young age. I think being surrounded by many students at my parent's gymnastics
club and beginning teaching recreational and team athletes at a young age helped to foster my
passion for working with others and helping them to improve, attain goals, and build their self
confidence. So, I got my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from the University of
Hawaii and went right into teaching at my current school.

Hawaii is such a unique place and it is such a melting pot of cultures. Diversity is all around us.
My school, though diverse, is set in the middle of an area with a large Filipino population. My
school is Title I and is one of the largest public elementary schools in the state with about 1,300
students from Pre-K -6. The Waipahu school district is densely populated with five other
elementary schools nearby all ranging from 700-800 students. It is common for students to live
in multigenerational homes sometimes with cousins, aunties, uncles, and grandparents. About
40% of our students are designated as EL and speak another language at home. Languages
include Ilocano, Tagalog, Visayna, Samoan, Chuukese, Marshallese and Russian to name a few.
Though the Filipino languages are most prevalent throughout the school. Our school prioritizes
learning in the lower grades, so class sizes are smaller in grades K-2 and range from 18-23
students per year. Our school also has resource teachers who teach PE, STEAM, Computers and
Music, while teachers have articulation meetings every 10 days, so I am only responsible for the
other subjects including reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and art.

While I have been fortunate enough to stay in the same grade level for the past six years, I still
struggle to confidently adapt and support all learners. Each year I often have one to two students
who are performing at the Kindergarten level in second grade and many EL students ranging
from Non-English Proficient (NEP) to Limited English Proficient (LEP). I have always been
eager to learn strategies for differentiating and meeting the needs of all of my students. It is very
tiresome, but seeing students make gains is well worth the effort.

I entered the MATC program because I wanted to learn about more research based effective
strategies for teaching literacy, English Learners and to learn more about effectively using
technology with young learners. I am a firm believer in lifelong learning and the importance of
reflection and goal setting. I reflect on my students needs and goals and try to adjust and
improve my teaching to support them along the way. This portfolio demonstrates my learning as
well as application of MATC program standards and goals. I hope that my reflectiveness,
passion, and dedication to teaching and my students comes through clearly.

Sincerely,

Nani Vercruyssen