WELCOME!
Hello Everyone!
My name is Susan Oelkers and this is my second year working at McKinley School full time. I have been working for the North Bergen School District for the past 32 years, working in every school from the PreK to the North Bergen High School.
I love children of all ages and have a great rapport with them. However, my true passion is teaching the little ones how to read, via the structure of systematic phonics instruction. I currently work in the third and fourth grades as a Resource Teacher to support any students struggling in English Language Arts. Additionally, it is my pleasure to instruct students in various grades that struggle with reading and who need extra support with phonics, phonemic awareness and automaticity in reading text. I am able to accomplish this via the Sonday System Approach, which is one of the many branches of phonetic constructs under the Orton-Gillingham Method (the grandfather of teaching children with dyslexia, as well as other reading disabilities, how to read and manipulate written language).
I love teaching and experience great joy when learning. I have often been referred to as a “Life-long Learner,” which I must agree is a fairly accurate description. I have accomplished various degrees, as well as several certifications from the following Universities:
William Patterson University
- BA in Elementary Education (Certification K-8) 1991
- BA in Psychology (Certification 5-9) 1991
Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Orton-Gillingham - 2 Year Program (Certification K-12) 2005
- IMSLEC Certification - 2 Year Program (International Multi Sensory Language Education Council) 2005
- Teacher of the Handicapped (Certification K-12) 2007
- MA in Students with Disabilities (Certification K-12) 2009
- Orton-Gillingham Teacher (Certification K-12) 2017
- Certified Dyslexia Practitioner 2017
- Certified Dyslexia Therapist 2017
Montclair State University
- Supervisor (Certification K-12) 2012
