Ruth E. Metcalfe Literacy Coordinator, Goshen Community Schools, IN

Ruth Metcalfe has been a literacy coordinator and teacher for Goshen Community Schools in Goshen, Indiana. She has a masters degree in elementary education and she completed a year-long course to become a literacy coordinator. During her 16 years as an educator, she has taught first, second, and fourth grades and provided professional development and coaching at the building level. She is currently released from teaching to work full time with all first and second year primary teachers and provide support to other primary literacy coordinators throughout the district.

In addition to her work as a teacher and staff developer, Ruth has been literacy consultant for elementary schools. She has presented at national conferences with a focus on reading and writing in second grade as a transition to the intermediate grades. She has also presented at state conferences on comprehension and language development.

Ruth completed action research in her own classroom to determine how what she learned impacted her practice. She also researched the impact of Literacy Collaborative on first graders in her school, looking at English language learners and children who were new to the school.

Ruth infuses her classroom with joyful and powerful teaching. She also enjoys working with teachers on how theory looks when put into practice in the classroom – the place where theory and practice meet. She is passionate about literacy, children, teaching and learning.