Meet Mrs. Schwalbe
Ever since I can remember, I have always loved books and reading. My parents used to read to my brother and me all the time as well as take us to the public library on a regular basis. We could take out as many books as we could carry, and that was usually several! Needless to say, I didn't have any trouble reading in school and always wondered why some kids didn't even want to look at all the beautiful books in the classroom! My second grade teacher (who was one of my favorites) read to us at the end of every day and it was usually a book by Beverly Cleary....Henry and Beezus and Ramona were the characters that I loved!
Becoming an elementary school teacher was kind of not my idea...I really wanted to be an artist! My parents convinced me that I would be guaranteed a paycheck more often if I took the road to teaching! I attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck,NJ and received my B.A. in Elementary Education with a concentration in Fine Arts. After teaching young kids for a while and becoming concerned about the ones who were really struggling with reading, I decided to get my Master's degree in Remedial Reading. That was in New York...I didn't get a Reading Specialist's job until we moved to Maryland and I joined OLPH.
The next few years were tumultuous and sad as my husband died suddenly of pancreatic cancer and I was left to raise my 15 year old daughter by myself. My job as reading specialist kept me at least busy enough to forget my grief and help struggling readers through their problems. Because of my fierce love of books and reading, I truly want to instill in children that same passion whether they are beginning readers or ones that struggle. Everyone CAN learn to read..maybe not in the same ways, but certainly with a teacher who believes in them, encourages them,and works hard to help them succeed!