materials & environment

Face and name puzzles on recycled wood pieces,

as part of a study of names.

Yarn, wood and beading provocation and project. Children wrapped yarn around a found branch. Next they beaded strings that were hung from the branch.

Hand painted beads with watercolors. Made as part of a service learning project where children sold their beading creations to raise funds for an environmental nonprofit.

A child-directed garden in our sensory table. We started by planting beans, and then wheatberries.

Our classroom “reset cave” where children can go to self-regulate and work through big feelings.

Visual calendar, schedule, and days of school tracker with tens frames, for a 4/5s classroom.

curriculum & projects

Habitat diorama project connected to our study of habitats. Children researched habitats, collected materials, designed and created their habitats over the span of four weeks.

Our classroom “agreements” or rules -- take care of ourselves, take care of eachother, take care of the school. For the 100th day of school (and to combat some challenging mid-year behavior) we worked towards 100 instances of taking care in our classroom.

Service learning project during the holidays: Children explored the difference between needs and wants, and made practical care kits for a local homeless shelter.

Democratic process of selecting a class name in a threes classroom.

Service learning: Children sold various beading creations to raise funds for Kids Fight Climate Change.

Developing our classroom alphabet: Children cut images from recycled book covers, and then sorted the Images by initial sound. Next they collaged the images to make a letter-sound alphabet to adorn their new classroom.

Puppetry work in my kindergarten classroom.

Constructing little free libraries for public spaces around our school as a service learning project.

documentation

Self-portrait work with process descriptions. The children used paint swatches to match their skin tones.

Interactive hallway documentation in which our classroom crowdsources ideas for how to take care (our basis for classroom rules).

Map of our neighborhood study in a kindergarten classroom.

A child-centered documentation shrine to our class pet snails. A transcription of the their interview with a “snail expert” is hung above for adults to read.

After students elected “the Rainbows” as their classroom name, they collaborated with teachers to update community members about their rainbow-centric fall curriculum.

work samples

Sample update from our classroom newsletter.

Child narrative from a mid-year report.

Child narrative from a mid-year report.

Child narrative from a mid-year report.

READING DEVELOP?

Graphic I created to share with

parents at the beginning of year

Lillian Pollak

Lillian.Pollak@gmail.com

+44 7393 190703

LilyPollak.com

16 Highbury New Park, Flat 2

London, N5 2DB

*Has right to work in the UK

*QTS transfer in progress

Inspired, creative and organized early ​childhood educator with a decade of ​experience working with young children ​and families in progressive, research-​based school settings. Special focus in ​inquiry, STEM, social emotional learning, ​and the arts. Seeking leadership and ​specialist roles in schools or education-​adjacent nonprofits.

Professional Experience

Lead 4/5s Teacher

Barrow Street Nursery School (June 2019 - June 2024)

• Developed active, child-centered and experiential curriculum ​with embedded foundational learning skills.
  
• Engaged in elaborate, writing-intensive reflective Reggio-​inspired documentation process.
  
• Collaborated in 10 year NYSAIS accreditation process as part ​of Operations Committee.
  
• Designed and presented multiple professional development ​workshops attended by educators from outside schools.

Kindergarten Teacher

Blue School (August 2017 - June 2019)

• Designed inquiry-based curricula with arts emphasis.
  
• Managed classroom communication, conducted math and ​literacy assessments, and curated interactive wall ​documentation.
  
• DEI committee member
  

Lead Universal Pre-K Teacher

Brooklyn Treehouse Preschool (August 2014 - June 2017)

• Responsible for mentoring assistant teachers and SEITS, ​curriculum planning, implementation and assessment, and ​family communication in 20-student classrooms.
  
• Classroom was used as a model for other UPK programs, and ​toured by administrators and educators from various sites.
  

CURRICULAR EXPERIENCE

• Reggio Emilia Approach
• Bank Street Approach
• Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project
• Fountas and Pinnell
• Portfolio method of assessment
• Handwriting Without Tears
• Phonics In Motion
• TERC Mathematics
• Anti-Bias / DEI
  

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Responsive Classroom
• EC Indicators: Identification and Intervention
• Trauma-Informed Practice
• Design Thinking in the Classroom
  
• NYSAIS Gender and Human Sexuality Conference
• Bank Street Saturday Math
  
• Building Blocks EC Mathematics
  
• Pre-K For All Summer Institutes
  
• Anti-Racism PD with Ali Michael
  
• NAEYC Annual Conference
  
• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
  

personal expererince

Mother to a three-year-old son

Educational Background

Master of Science, Early Childhood Education

Hunter College (2014 - 2015)

• Obtained New York State Teacher Certification
  
• Maintained 4.0 GPA while lead teaching full-time
  

Bachelor of Arts, Cultural Anthropology

University of Texas (2006 – 2009)

H.S. Diploma, with Honors and College Board

Advanced Placement credits (one year)

School for the Talented and Gifted, Dallas (2000 - 2004)

Technology

Languages

Google Suite

Veracross

SchoolAdmin

CampBrain

Storypark

English

Spanish