Background
The school in which I teach is one of the only elementary institutions of its kind in the city of Pittsburgh. It is a magnet school which attracts students and families from all corners of the Pittsburgh Public School district. Historically, magnet schools focus on various areas of study. Many of our district’s magnets focus on a specific language such as French or Mandarin. Pittsburgh Dilworth is a bit different in that it is an arts and humanities magnet school with a diverse student body as well as its faculty. Even though there are students from across the city, it has maintained the feel of a “neighborhood School.” The century-old building houses over 400 students and is one of the top performing schools in the district.
Fig. 1 - Pittsburgh Dilworth Traditional Academy
In addition to being named a “Star School” in 2024 after showing significant student growth on the PSSA state assessments, the students and staff have received several grants (ex. Disney Musicals in Schools), scholarships and community recognition. Moreover, student and faculty attendance rates rise above the majority of schools in the district, with consistent drops in chronic student absenteeism.
Pittsburgh Public School faculty are highly trained and continue their growth and development in many areas of focus. Twenty percent of teachers in the district are National Board Certified1 and many more carry advanced degrees, showing true dedication to our students as well as our own professional growth.
While all PPS schools have access to gifted and talented programs, Pittsburgh Dilworth offers in- house GT instruction which allows for close monitoring of student enrichment and equity within the program. Students do not have to leave the building and are offered high quality programming and instruction.
Out of nearly 26 years as an elementary instructor, I have taught for nearly 15 at Pittsburgh Dilworth. Four years in kindergarten, nine in third grade ELA and one year with a fourth and fifth grade split during which I taught two sections of ELA. In the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, I will continue with my fourth and fifth grade classes as well as teaching the ELA block for those groups. This is inclusive of Reading, English-Writing-Grammar, Spelling and Handwriting. While expository writing such as summary, response and text-dependent analysis are heavily practiced during our sessions, it is my goal to include descriptive and creative pieces in order to show growth in not only writing skills but reading and comprehension as well. As the students grow and move toward middle and high school experiences, I want to instill confidence in this subject area, allowing each student to hone a well-rounded repertoire in reading and writing. It is important to demonstrate the ties between these subjects. Exploring the graphic narrative text will be a rich exposure to unpacking challenges that can hinder experiences in the language arts.
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