Meet the very first teacher hired on the US Teach Starter team! Natalie Brown is an Austin, Texas-based content and resource manager with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Texas and a Master’s in Education Administration from Concordia University.
Natalie has 20 years of experience in public education, with 10 years as a teacher for 1st, 4th, and 5th grades, five years as an Instructional Coach in grades PK-5, and five as an assistant principal. She joined Teach Starter as a resource producer in 2018, and her passion and dedication to education allowed her to quickly grow into the Content and Resource Manager role.
Natalie didn’t know early on that she wanted to be a teacher — it was actually the last thing she wanted to be when she grew up! However, when she got into college it became very clear that a lot of people in this world don’t have anyone in their corner, cheering them on.
Natalie realized she wanted to be that person for every student she came into contact with, and that desire led her to education. We asked her to share one thing she thought every teacher should know. Her answer?
Always remember that each of your students is battling life outside of the classroom, and some of those battles are far worse than any child should have to deal with. Before you react to a student’s negative behaviors, try to understand where they are coming from.
Natalie has a passion for teaching math concepts in a clear and understandable way, and this is showcased in herNumber Talks collection.
“Number Talks was a key piece of my small group math instruction when I was in the classroom,” Natalie explained. “It was a great way for me to see how my students would approach a concept and allow me to see where in their thinking the process was breaking down.”
You can view more of Natalie’s engaging work below.
Natalie’s Work
Biography Brochure Template
使用这个传记手册模板来帮助你的students organize their thinking about their biography subject.
There’s No Better Day… – Bulletin Board Display
Use this resource in your classroom to create an interactive social-emotional skills display or bulletin board!
Character Analysis: New Year’s Activity
In this New Year’s activity, students use evidence from a piece of text to infer how a character would bring in the new year.
Ms Brown, was my Teacher in 5th grade a long time ago and she was a amazing teacher.
Thanks so much for the lovely comment, Mayra! I'll forward this to Natalie as I'm sure she'll appreciate it!