Fikir Tena

Reading Specialist

Children have been my life's passion. Since adolescence, I have worked with children ranging from infants to high school teenagers in many capacities, from informal teaching as a Sunday school teacher to tutoring to being a teacher's assistant, and within the last 10 years as a licensed elementary school teacher. In 2000 I received an M.A. in Education and a CLEAR CLAD teaching credential from the University of Californa, Los Angeles (Go Bruins!) After graduation, I worked in the public school systems of Southern California where I taught grades Kindergarten, First,Second, and Fourth. In 2007, I accepted a teaching position at ICS where I taught grade one for three years before stepping into the new role of Reading Support Teacher.

I am very excited about the work I will be doing at ICS this year. Reading has been my favorite subject to teach ever since I stepped into a classroom a decade ago. I have been fortunate enough to be trained in a number of literacy programs including Open Court, Harcourt, Four Blocks, Reading and Writing Workshops, and Reading Recovery. I find great satisfaction in watching children light up when they begin to master the art of reading. I feel privileged to play a role in assisting this process of learning, which although is highly rewarding, can be difficult for some children.

What I love most about my work is that I learn from my students as much as they learn from me. Children are amazing! I have been blessed to work with hundreds of wonderful students along the years who have left a lasting impression upon my heart with their words, hugs and random acts of kindness. They have taught me to laugh, cry, or at times simply shrug my shoulders and walk away. It is their carefree lifestyle and their willingness to not "sweat the small stuff" that reminds me that life is too short to spend worrying about what I cannot change. It is my addiction to their way of life that sustains me in this profession.