January Teacher of the Month: Shelley Cline

It’s that time of the month again! This month, we chose to recognize Shelley Cline, a middle school teacher from Newcomerstown, Ohio. Though she only signed up in October of 2014, Shelley has quickly become an active, dedicated Edcite user. We hope you learn some great tips from Shelley!

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Shelley Cline, and this is my twelfth year as an employee of the Newcomerstown Exempted Village School District in Newcomerstown, Ohio. This is my fifth year teaching sixth grade English Language Arts. My husband’s name is Dennis, and we have a fifteen year old dog named Connie. We do not have any children unless you count my 73 sixth graders!

Why did you become a teacher?

After my high school graduation, I earned my undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Otterbein College. I worked in the banking industry for several years before moving back to my hometown to open a gymnastics business. It was through gymnastics that I learned how much I enjoyed working with children. A parent of two of my team members was a school principal, and she suggested that I become a substitute teacher for the local school district. I fell in love with teaching, so I went back to college to obtain my teaching license. I enjoy watching my students grow and mature both as students and as individuals throughout the course of the school year.

Why did you start using Edcite?

This year is the first year that students in Ohio will be taking the PARCC tests. Because of that, I spent a lot of time searching for the best resources to use with my students. In the fall, our district took part in a countywide in-service, and it was there that I learned about Edcite. Thank heavens!

How have you used Edcite in your classroom?

I have been using Edcite ever since to create my own tests and quizzes that are aligned to the Common Core Standards. I want my students to have as much experience with online testing as possible. They need to be proficient with keyboarding and understand how to manipulate the data for the new types of questions they will encounter (i.e., technology-enhanced constructed response questions, two-part questions, and multiple choice questions that require them to choose more than one answer). Practice makes perfect, and thanks to Edcite, I can make this type of practice possible for my students.

Any parting words of wisdom?

I urge other teachers to give this site a try because I truly feel that it will make a difference for their students.