Heather Mears

I am in my 27th year of teaching. I spent 10 years teaching special education ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade. After 10 years I had the opportunity to transition to general education. I have enjoyed teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

I am a strongly believe in trying to reach students via their mode of learning. I also believe greatly in knowing what your target is and being very strategic with instruction. We are lucky enough to have Smartboards in every classroom of our school. Students greatly enjoy working on the board. The more engaged they are the more they learn. My special education background helps understand the vast range of abilities found in the classroom from year to year.

My School has been selected a "School of Distinction" 3 times in the last few years. This is a great honor for our hardworking staff. We have made tremendous gains academically in the last few years. 2014 Washington Achievement Award- High Progress 2014 School of Distinction 2013 School of Distinction 2012 School of Distinction 2012 Washington Achievement Award- High Progress 2012-2013 Title I Distinguished School (Washington State)

1994 Bachelors of Education Western Washington University 2000 Masters of Education Pacific Lutheran University

Since my school moved to a PLC collaborative model we have seen our state scores increase greatly. Since 2009 3rd grade has improved from 68% passing in math to 84% passing in math. In reading we have improved from 68% to 90% in reading(2013).