As someone who loves reading and writing, Stephanie Quinlan is determined to teach her students how to love communication. Quinlan is the new English Language Development (ELD) teacher at Highland.
ELD is a class that English language learners take. They focus on writing, reading, speaking and listening in English. Typically, students in the class will be surrounded by English speakers to help with cultural integration. The class is designed to help students feel more comfortable in school settings, so they can further their education.
Quinlan used to be the Digital Learning Specialist for the Salt Lake District. Her job involved helping teachers integrate different technologies into the classroom to improve teaching. This year, she got transferred to Highland and is so excited to be teaching in a classroom.
She teaches four ELD classes this year, and it is her first time teaching this subject. She is very excited to teach ELD because she loves English and anything to do with communication.
“I think being a good communicator gives you a lot of advantages in life,” Quinlan said. “I love teaching people how to communicate.”
She believes that communication is one of the most beneficial and useful skills to succeed in school, work and life. She wants her students to be prepared after high school.
Quinlan is trained in communication. She has a secondary teaching degree from BYU in English and a Master of Arts and Communication from the University of Kentucky. Outside of loving education and communication, Quinlan loves her family.
“The most important thing is that I am a mother of four: an adult son and daughter and two cats,” Quinlan said.
Quinlan wants her students to feel comfortable and secure when they are learning. She wants students to have a safe space to develop their communication skills.
She wants to create strong bonds with her students, so they can trust her. She wants to learn about everyone.
“I hope to develop good relationships with the students and learn from the students and fellow colleagues,” Quinlan said.
Quinlan believes that communicating with others and listening to them is the best way to learn. She wants to learn from all her students and her colleagues.
