Knowing the value of literacy, Carol DeFriez empowers her students one book at a time
After learning Spanish, Carol DeFriez, Heritage Elementary School’s 2022-23 Teacher of the Year, was excited to help others learn English. This experience led her to pursue a degree in elementary education and an English Language Learning (ELL) endorsement.
As she began her career, DeFriez taught first grade for two years and fifth grade for eight years. She has spent the past four years as an ELL teacher, and her favorite part of the job is the relationships she builds, working one-on-one with students of all grades and abilities as she helps them become better readers.
“I love helping kids learn and seeing that light come on in their eyes when they get it. I love being with these kids year after year and seeing them progress and finally get it and do better because now they know how to read,” DeFriez explained.
DeFriez spends her days working with students one-on-one, starting at 8 a.m. She has morning reading groups where students can come for 30-40 minutes of extra reading intervention. Using different computer games and programs, DeFriez helps students practice reading and other subjects they may struggle with. Students can earn prizes and awards for reading a certain number of books and taking low-stakes quizzes through a program called Amira.
“My goal is to give all students the opportunity that I’ve had to be able to learn. I want to help them see that they can learn,” DeFriez expressed. “Sometimes the students don’t believe they can do it, but I know they can if they just put in the work.”
Throughout the day, DeFriez works individually with students in each class throughout the school, providing interventions and one-on-one instruction to students who need it. The goal is to support and help students improve their English while learning the content and being around their peers.
DeFriez understands the value of being able to read. She recognizes that everything students do - both in and out of the classroom - requires them to have reading and comprehension skills.
“I love to get them reading because it affects every other part of their education. For example, if students can’t read the problem in math, they can’t do it. I have students who are very good at putting numbers together, adding, subtracting, and doing multiplication and division. But if they can’t read and understand the problem, it doesn’t do them any good,” DeFriez explained. “And I don’t think we realize how much reading affects everything. I believe the more kids read and take these little quizzes, the more they’ll be able to focus and comprehend even more in all other subjects.”
Students, faculty, and staff admire the impact DeFriez has on the school. “Mrs. DeFriez is a dedicated teacher and one that truly cares about students. She shows up early every day to help her ELL students with reading and wants all of her students to be successful in and out of school,” explained Heritage Principal Lance Robins. “She is a teacher we all wish we would have had.”