Dekalb County School System teaching Essay

Fourteen years in the Dekalb County School System teaching special education makes Dr. Monica ReVonda Ellerbe a strong believer in the value of parents’ involvement in the education of their children, especially in the elementary years. â€Å"The home has to be an extension of school, in a way that parents have to be aware of what their children are being taught on a daily basis, so there would be less discipline referrals on the part of their teachers,† Ellerbe says. Her doctorate in Education, Curriculum and Instruction from Argosy University in Sarasota, Florida was secured after having formalized and documented how learning in some American schools is made more effective due to the intervention of students’ parents, since such familial attention can address discipline concerns. Ellerbe, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Saint Augustine’s College in North Carolina and an M. A. in Behavioral Disorders from the Clark Atlanta University, also believes that parents’ and teachers’ role is not only to provide knowledge to children, but to point out opportunities for them to develop themselves. Parents, after all, are students’ first and lifelong teachers. As the mother of Chandler Myers Ellerbe, the daughter of loving parents John and Dorothy, and an education specialist, Monica definitely walks the talk. â€Å"Even with several feathers in my cap, my role in the family is what I most take pride in,† she says. â€Å"But I think my knowledge in education permeates in all aspects of my life. † As a holistic educator, however, Ellerbe does not limit her academic interests in behavior and parental involvement. She has also received certifications in ESOL endorsement, gifted endorsement, language arts, mathematics and social science. She is also involved in several professional organizations namely Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, National Education Association (NEA), Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), Organization of Dekalb Educators (ODE), Georgia Association of Gifted Children (GAGC) and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). #