The Honor Role
Meet the people who make Fayette County Public Schools great. Join us as we dive in and learn about their journeys, their inspirations, and their whys on The Honor Role.
The Honor Role
Leslie Gable
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Leslie Gable, early literacy coach at Cleveland Elementary, wants students to find a lifelong love of reading.
Congratulations You made it to the Honor Role. I'm Chris Dunn and I'll be introducing you to the people who make Fayette County Public Schools excellent. Our district annually ranks among the best in both the state of Georgia and Nation academically. And we want to shine the spotlight on everyone who helps our students arrive. Behind every successful school day is a team of people worthy of recognition, and they each have their own story to tell. Join us as we dive in and learn about their journeys, their inspirations, and their whys on the Honor Role. Welcome to the Honor Role. Please introduce yourself.
Leslie GableMy name is Leslie Gable. I'm at Cleveland Elementary School and I'm the early literacy coach here.
SpeakerAwesome. Thank you so much for being here. We'll jump in. Tell us a bit about your early life, where you grew up and went to school and all that.
Leslie GableSo I'm actually from Fayette County. I'm seventh generation Fayette County, and so my roots go very deep in this community. I went to school here. I actually went to East Fayette Elementary School, which is now Inman Elementary, and went through the school system here. I graduated from Fayette County High School, then went off to Athens and got my degree and masters from UGA.
SpeakerSo then you're with such deep ties to the area, it's probably kind of natural for you to come back here.
Leslie GableIt is, yep. So all my family's here. So it's just home, you know, and so I love it and I love this community.
SpeakerSo when did you know you wanted to work in education?
Leslie GablePretty early on. I loved my elementary school experience. I mean, it was a little community at East Fayette. I mean, the teachers were just so loving and they poured in to all their students. But when I graduated from, had the fifth grade graduation, we got up and we had to say what we wanted to be when we grew up. So I had two choices. I wanted to either be a singer or a teacher. So very different options, but one of them actually did work out.
SpeakerAwesome. So who who inspired you? Who are some people that maybe helped set you down this path.
Leslie GableSo there's quite a bit from elementary school, so I can't just pick one, but like Ms Wolf, my kindergarten teacher, she's such a creative person, and so she just really sparked , you know, that creativity and fun that can be a part of education. Ms Simpson, because she was very patient with me and took the time to really help me develop as a student. Ms Walker, she wasn't even one of my teachers, but she did tutor me on the side and she just showed such patience working with me and everything.
SpeakerWhat comes up all the time is that the teachers that kind of stick with you, you don't even remember the lessons, but you remember how you were treated and made you feel special and cared for and all that.
Leslie GableYeah, yeah. I mean it really did make a lasting impact. I'll still see them from time to time, and they remember me, and I'm just like, oh my gosh, it was real, you know. So it was nice.
SpeakerAnd so give us an overview, kind of what do you do here at Cleveland?
Leslie GableSo this year I'm the literacy coach here, and so this is our first year having it. We have four in the county now, and so this is a slow rollout. So next year every elementary school will have one. we really focus on supporting the implementation of literacy and kind of building those foundational skills. So we really try to pour into our teachers here so we can kind of go out and have an impact in the classroom with those kiddos.
SpeakerSo do you teach across the all the grades? Do you work with specific students that need help ?
Leslie GableOur focus is K through three. But if there's like something with structured literacy that I can help with upper grades, that works out really well. E specially with our new program that we're implementing this year with HMH. We have lots of areas that we can support in, and it's been a good rollout.
SpeakerSo you don't have your own set class, or do kind of people rotate in?
Leslie GableI'm you know out in the classrooms, and then I'm sitting in professional learning communities helping with kind of looking at data and helping dive into that a little deeper and kind of talking about and brainstorming different ways that we can kind of support teachers and help kids meet their goals. Last year, for the last few years, I had been EIP, so that's when I had that small group and everything.
SpeakerI'm sure it's kind of like a learning experience for you too because it's a new role for everyone.
Leslie GableYeah, it's been a lot. but the county's done a really great job like supporting us. our TLSs have done a really good job helping us along this journey because it has been a big learning curve. but it's an exciting time because there's been so many great things happening in the world of reading and literacy. so I'm just happy to be along with it for all the science-based learning and science of reading.
SpeakerSo how long have you been here at Cleveland?
Leslie GableI think seven or eight years. So this is year 14 for me.
SpeakerSo you only taught in Fayette County?
Leslie GableI was in Henry County before. When I got out of college, nobody was hiring. They were getting rid of ParaPros. I mean, they were really coming down. But in Henry County, I started there and was there , I taught kindergarten, first grade there, and then I came to Cleveland.
SpeakerWhat do you love about working here at Cleveland?
Leslie GableThe people, yeah. The kiddos, the teachers. I mean, we really do do such a good job coming together and supporting each other. So, and it's just you know, going back to this. I mean, this is my community, and I just love being here.
SpeakerIn terms of teaching on the reading, English side of things, was that kind of always a passion for you? Were there other subjects you thought about teaching, or was it kind of always going to be this route?
Leslie GableI love all the like with science, all the hands-on stuff that you can do in elementary school, you know, and how you can kind of connect that, but it's always been the reading, that's why I got my master's um in reading education. It's always been my biggest focus because that's something that I really struggled with as a student, and so that's something like you know, I've learned about the science of reading and how you implement all these phonics patterns. And I'm like, I didn't learn this when I was in school, and I'm like, this is so new, talking about open and closed vowels and syllables and types like that. So that's really been my biggest focus going back now, and that then I realized like I bring kind of a different perspective because I was a struggling reader, and so I kind of like I can connect with those kiddos maybe a little bit more,
Speakerand if you can unlock that love for reading or just even in heightened comprehension, it helps them in all of their subjects.
Leslie GableIt does. I mean, it really does unlock all the other pathways because that's something we talk about a lot. Like, you know, our babies are struggling in math, but a lot of it might be related to like, well, they can't read the questions, so you know, they're really having a hard time with that.
SpeakerOutside of school, do you have any interesting hobbies or anything? I know it probably keeps you pretty busy.
Leslie GableIt does, but you know, I'll be on the cart paths walking in Peachtree City or on my paddleboard, and then I also spend a lot of time watching TCM, you know, unwinding in the evenings, watching the classic movies.
SpeakerSo I'm guessing you're probably a reader too
Leslie GableI'm a reader, yeah. Fiction, and I'm really starting to have it get into non-fiction a lot with staying up with my professional learning and everything. So yeah.
SpeakerAnd how we close every episode is we ask, what is your why?
Leslie GableMy why is just because I mean I know what it's like not to be able to read, you know, and to really struggle in that area, and it really does just weigh down on you as an individual. So I wanted to, I had so many teachers pour into me and help me get on the right path, and I want to be able to do the same thing too. And so I've done it, teaching those younger grades as an EIP teacher, it was really a great experience. and now I can kind of help with teachers and have maybe a broader reach with that.
SpeakerSo what's it like for you when one of your students maybe that's been struggling and you see the light bulb go on and they start to enjoy reading?
Leslie GableIt's the best thing. I mean, and because like a lot of them, you know, they might say they don't enjoy it, but it's just because they have you know, they have a lot of feelings that go along with a lot of baggage and they haven't been successful with it in the past, but when they start having that success, I mean it's just so much joy for them, their families, for us. it's very rewarding.
SpeakerAnd it's such a life skill. I mean, like 24-7, you need to be able to read and communicate and all that, and you're giving them the skills to excel.
Leslie GableMm-hmm. Yeah, for sure. And I mean, it's a you know, sometimes we don't feel like we get any recognition as teachers, but really that's the payoff right there, you know. So it's good.
SpeakerAnd then hopefully you're you're paying forward everything that your teachers meant for you and all that.
Leslie GableYes, yeah, and that's my end goal. You know, I want students to be happy, I want them to want to love learning and to feel like they're successful. So that's my goal.
SpeakerWell, thank you so much for talking with us.
Leslie GableThank you.
SpeakerThis has been an official podcast of Fayette County Public Schools. For more stories from our district, visit us online at fcboe.org, where you can also find links to our social media channels. If you know someone you would like to see featured on a future episode, email us at dunn.chris at fcboe.org. And don't forget to like and subscribe. Thank you for joining us on Honor Role, class dismissed.