Welcome to my Professional Learning Network! 

About Me

 

My name is Erik Meredith and this is my twelfth year teaching in the Woodland Hills School
District.  I have taught first grade for five years now, fourth grade for three years, second grade for three years, and taught third grade in the Duquesne City School District before that.  I am married and have
two children.  My oldest is Zachary who is 11 and starting fifth grade.  My youngest is Christopher, who is 8 years old and is starting third grade.  When I'm not in school, I love spending time with my family, camping with the Cub Scouts, coaching youth soccer (recreational and competitive), and watching or going to Pittsburgh Penguins hockey games.  

 

 

Professional Life

I graduated summa cum laude from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with my Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education and from California University of Pennsylvania with a Masters in Education in School Leadership.  Through my undergraduate programming, I am certified to teach K-6 elementary classes and middle school, grades 7-9, citizenship education with a PA Instructional II certificate.  I have also obtained PA state certification as a Principal K-12 with an Administrative I certificate.

Recently, I have laid the foundation work for our school's MakerSpace and "maker" activities, using a $2,000 donation from a local business.  Using the funds, I led the purchase of two portable MakerSpace carts and a 3D printer.  These materials were piloted in 2019 in my classroom to test new ideas and "maker" activities for students.  Previously, I have served on the Pennsylvania Learns iTunes curriculum team, writing the iTunes course for first grade science.  In the Woodland Hills School District, I have previously written the PA Core Standards aligned first grade math curriculum/modules for use districtwide and served on the curriculum team to select the current math curriculum.  I have also presented at the district's annual EdCamp in-service training, conducting a session called Apps for Learning, which demonstrated several apps teachers could implement into their everyday lessons and another reviewing using social media professionally.

I enjoy listening to several podcasts, including the Transformative Principal, Common Core Radio, and the Whole Child Podcasts.  I also keep current on educational trends through online articles, journals, and ASCD books.  In my free time, I also coach youth soccer at the travel soccer level through PAWest and the Penn Trafford Soccer Club and lead the local Cub Scouts unit as the Committee Chair.

 

Qualifications

What makes me qualified to be a school administrator?

• Have over ten years experience as a hands-on educator
• All of my experience comes from schools and districts located in low socioeconomic neighborhoods
• Development and implementation of standards-based and data driven programs designed to increase student achievement
• Experience developing a school master schedule, complete with common prep periods, common reading block times for grade level strands, and grade level common weekly anti-bullying instructional time
• Experienced using the Danielson model for teacher observations, and experience using a variety of informal observational techniques, including at task, class traffic, and verbal flow
• Familiarity and experience with Student Learning Objectives and the Effective Educator model
• Hands-on experience managing discipline for adolescents in a day camp setting, very similar to a school setting
• Remain current with professional practices and educational trends, as well as professional reading
• Excellent hands-on experience using a variety of educational technology tools
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills