Meet the Teacher
Hello, I'm your teacher, Kelly Walsh. I am an experienced educator with over 15 years classroom experience. I have had the honor and pleasure of teaching in England, Chicago and Tampa. I hold my elementary teaching certificate (K-9) with a specialty in mathematics in Florida and Illinois. I am a certified teacher in the United Kingdom, in addition to holding my Elementary I and Elementary II Montessori Certification.
After earning my bachelor's degree from Loyola University Chicago, I moved to England where I studied elementary education at the University of Hull with a specialty in Early Childhood Education. After completing my post graduate studies, I taught 3rd and 4th grade at Owston Park Primary School for two years. My hard work and dedication to my students was recognized by the English Government with the Excellent Teaching Recognition Award.
Upon my return to Chicago, I taught at Ravenswood Elementary, Audubon Elementary and Prescott Elementary, the latter two both being Blue Ribbon Schools. My last 10 years in Chicago were spent teaching at Drummond Montessori Magnet School, the top-rated public Montessori school in Chicago, where I taught 4th, 5th and 6th graders in a multi-age classroom. During my tenure there I was recognized with the distinguished teacher designation year after year.
My teaching style is to foster a collaborative learning environment, focusing on the child and their individual needs. One of the things I pride myself in is providing a proper classroom setting and environment creation for children, fostering independence, critical thinking, perseverance, self-discipline and self-direction, as well as promoting order, organization and development of responsibility.
Utilizing my strength and love of mathematics, and employing a variety of instructional strategies, I am successful at developing students' mathematical knowledge, guiding them from concrete to abstract concepts, enabling them to solve cognitively challenging problems independently and creating engaging mathematical discourse.
I designed and developed the curriculum that exceeded all local, state and national standards across the entirety of the elementary spectrum. This course work was used by both my students and fellow educators. All curriculum could and would be modified to accommodate the changing needs of the student.
After earning my bachelor's degree from Loyola University Chicago, I moved to England where I studied elementary education at the University of Hull with a specialty in Early Childhood Education. After completing my post graduate studies, I taught 3rd and 4th grade at Owston Park Primary School for two years. My hard work and dedication to my students was recognized by the English Government with the Excellent Teaching Recognition Award.
Upon my return to Chicago, I taught at Ravenswood Elementary, Audubon Elementary and Prescott Elementary, the latter two both being Blue Ribbon Schools. My last 10 years in Chicago were spent teaching at Drummond Montessori Magnet School, the top-rated public Montessori school in Chicago, where I taught 4th, 5th and 6th graders in a multi-age classroom. During my tenure there I was recognized with the distinguished teacher designation year after year.
My teaching style is to foster a collaborative learning environment, focusing on the child and their individual needs. One of the things I pride myself in is providing a proper classroom setting and environment creation for children, fostering independence, critical thinking, perseverance, self-discipline and self-direction, as well as promoting order, organization and development of responsibility.
Utilizing my strength and love of mathematics, and employing a variety of instructional strategies, I am successful at developing students' mathematical knowledge, guiding them from concrete to abstract concepts, enabling them to solve cognitively challenging problems independently and creating engaging mathematical discourse.
I designed and developed the curriculum that exceeded all local, state and national standards across the entirety of the elementary spectrum. This course work was used by both my students and fellow educators. All curriculum could and would be modified to accommodate the changing needs of the student.
