Meet Danielle Paull

During the ACEI Annual Conference in Tampa, FL, I had the pleasure of meeting one of ACEI's Elizabeth Breathwaite Student Leadership Award winners. Danielle Paull graduated in 2007 from the College of Education, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. Over the summer, Danielle participated in an alternative internship program where she taught 1st grade at Pinecrest Elementary School in Immokalee, Florida. The Accomplished Intern Teacher program places teacher interns into their own classes, rather than pairing them with another teacher in an existing class. This fall, Danielle continues at Pinecrest Elementary, where she teaches kindergarten.

For as long as she can remember, Danielle has wanted to be a teacher. From childhood through college, Danielle concentrated on her aspirations. While attending FGCU, Danielle developed close bonds with several of her professors, many of whom are ACEI members. Tunde Szecsi, Debra Giambo, Elia Vasquez-Montilla, Carolyn Spillman, and Sally Mayberry all became mentors to Danielle. These dedicated professionals gave of their time and talents to encourage Danielle to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher.

Danielle joined ACEI and quickly became a leadership dynamo. She served both as vice president and president of the FGCU/ Eagles Educate Branch. She was the Florida ACEI Student Representative, and served on the 2007 Local Conference Committee. Under Danielle's leadership, the Eagles Educate Branch hosted the following events: "Educate Your International Flavor," which featured international students discussing their experiences and strategies for teaching students from various cultural backgrounds, and "The Real Deal," which invited first-year teachers from FGCU to describe their transition from the college setting to the classroom. Branch members volunteered at the Hispanic Heritage Festival in Southwest Florida, held book drives for an elementary school, and participated in ACEI's Week of the Classroom Teacher activities.

Danielle is grateful for receiving the Elizabeth Breathwaite Student Leadership award. The award allowed her to offset some expenses to attend the 2007 Conference. She co-presented the session "Transforming Children's Mathematical Thinking: Building Bridges With Children's Literature and Mathematics," participated in the Leadership Training Workshop "Eagles Educate Through Branch Activities," and was the Children's Art Chair.

Danielle's own words express her joy of teaching: "I have always loved working with kids and I have the desire to make a difference in students' lives. I want to create a positive classroom environment so that my students enjoy coming to school and are excited about learning." These are words to live by, and we all wish you the best as a first-year teacher!

-Sheri Levin, Public Relations Manager

Copyright Association for Childhood Education International Fall 2007
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