One word, properly chosen, can convey a world of meaning. For Liz Chico, the word that matters most is “mentor.” From a very early age, Ms. Chico wanted to be involved in the lives of young people. In time, the classroom became the place to pursue that involvement. And teaching became the profession for making the greatest difference.
For Ms. Chico, making a difference means being a facilitator of learning, helping students recognize and perfect their ability to express themselves in words. The decision to teach English was motivated by Ms Chico’s own desire to express feelings and ideas in descriptive and powerful words. It is both a skill and a source of satisfaction that she teaches her students.
Just as much as she loves writing, Ms. Chico also loves reading great literature. In class, she guides students in recognizing the ideas of great authors as well as the points of view of the characters they create. Her approach to teaching involves both cooperative learning and differentiated instruction. She is especially pleased that serving on the Florida Virtual School faculty enables her to work individually with her student as they share their thoughts about what they read and through the words they write.
Ms. Chico has been teaching for six years, beginning her career as a Language Arts teacher at Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Florida where she was chosen in 2007 as Teacher of the Year. In the Fall of 2007, in addition to teaching at FLVS, she also joined the English department faculty at Wellington High School in Wellington, Florida.
Ms. Chico earned her Masters degree in Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Education 6-12 was awarded by Southeastern College.
