Meet The Teachers: Nevada

 Cassiopia Restrepo

Cassie is a third year teacher in Las Vegas, NV. She currently teaches 1st grade inclusion but have taught 5th grade as well. She served as grade level chair for 5th grade and then 1st grade this current year. During the past two school years she was involved in the school Design Team, led multiple professional development sessions, and helped to write the school improvement plan for this current school year.

"I became a teacher because I had amazing teachers throughout my life, who changed the direction, the course of my life. And I wanted to make that same difference with another student.

I believe I'm connecting with my students on so many different levels. I believe that every day, we have a connection that increases their learning and mine too."

 Christine Simo

Christine has taught for 11 years. For 10 years she taught in Florida, serving as a grade level chair, supervisor for student teachers, and a representative for teachers at charter school board meetings. She came to Nevada recently and has been teaching 1st grade at Ober Elementary in the Clark County School District, Las Vegas.

"Right after I had my twin girls, I decided to get my substitute license and work in one of my son's middle school classrooms. In the classroom they were adding fraction as I was subbing and I walked around and [realized] he could not add fractions. It really concerned me that my eighth grader could not add fractions. I was a stay at home mom at the time and I decided to go into education and I pulled him out and home-schooled him and [caught] him up on his skills ... When I became a teacher [I would] make sure that that my students knew all that they needed to in order to succeed.

Teachers change, they come and go and it causes a big impact. I had one student who came back from spring break and she said, "Mrs. Simo I am so sad because I want to stay with you and I want to stay in first grade forever and ever." And the mom said, "Oh don't worry, you will get to see Mrs. Simo next year." But I won't be there."

 Justin Brecht

Justin has taught for 7 years. He worked briefly for KIPP DC and 2 years at the Andre Agassi College Prep Academy in Las Vegas. He currently works in the Clark County School District as a 5th grade teacher at John F. Mendoza Elementary. He is a Teach Plus Policy Innovator for the Las Vegas Region.

"I've been a voice of reform because I think the system needs to be reformed. I came into this profession because I wanted to make a difference and I continually run into a system that does not want to change.

I became a teacher because I wanted to show kids that they can become something better in life and i wanted to make a difference."

 Ally Vice

Ally Vice is a second year teacher in Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. She will be graduating magna cum laude with her Master's in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in May, 2011.

Ally currently acts as the fifth grade chair and as one of her school's two inclusion (special education) coaches. She collaborates both with-in and across grade levels at her school and helped facilitate "CRT" boot camp for the fourth and fifth grade students. She is involved in various committees and leadership positions at her school.

She was named Teacher of the Month for December, 2010 by the Lied Children's Discovery Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"When I think of education, I am here for my students and as I approach my day, anything I do is for them and I think policy should be the same way. We should put students first.

'Last in, First out' hurts kids, it hurts school, and it especially hurts schools where I work, which are high need schools, where students already have a lot of things against them. Taking kids out of the classroom and putting them in classrooms with thirty or forty other students, that is not in their best interest."