Barbara Leitch
Richmond
Summary
I am passionate about promoting inclusion, critical thinking skills and personal development. I believe everyone is capable of excelling. It is up to the leaders in our lives to make this happen. I use the skills I learned in managing classroom environments and student behavior to now maximize proactive interventions and positive results in a variety of other situations.
Overview
47
47
years of professional experience
Work History
Church Secretary
Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren
Littleton
11.2015 - 06.2025
- Prepared weekly bulletins for distribution to the congregation.
- Managed email communications between the church office and congregation members.
- Maintained accurate records of membership and attendance.
- Assisted in managing church office operations and supplies inventory.
- Responded to inquiries from community members regarding church services and programs.
- Supported the pastor with administrative tasks.
- Coordinated master church calendar
- Updated contact information in the database system, and printed directories for members of the congregation.
- Received, screened and routed telephone calls.
- Prepared thank you cards to donors who made financial contributions to the church.
- Organized and maintained church files, records and documents.
- Created spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel for record-keeping and reporting.
- Updated system to organize office documentation, maximizing efficiency and increasing productivity.
- Compiled and typed statistical reports, synthesized information, and provided excellent communication to disseminate information throughout the organization.
- Prepared reports for church events.
Driver
Dog Training Elite
Littleton
03.2023 - 01.2024
- Facilitated transportation for dog trainers with seizure disorders to dog training sessions
- Advocated for the trainers when they needed to be allowed to rest at home, rather than continue with daily appointments.
- Took trainers to the hospital as needed for emergency services
Teacher
Douglas County Schools
Castle Rock
08.1978 - 05.2009
- Developed lesson plans aligned with district curriculum standards.
- Assisted in classroom management and student engagement activities.
- Collaborated with colleagues to enhance instructional strategies and support systems.
- Implemented educational technologies to support diverse learning needs.
- Conducted assessments to evaluate student progress and understanding.
- Participated in professional development workshops to improve teaching skills.
- Communicated regularly with parents regarding student performance and behavior.
- Organized classroom materials and resources for effective learning environments.
- Maintained a safe and orderly learning environment for all students.
- Built and strengthened positive relationships with students, parents, and teaching staff.
- Prepared and maintained classroom environments appropriate for student learning and physical, social and emotional development.
- Provided individualized instruction to meet the needs of all students.
- Instructed students in academic subjects such as math, science, language arts, social studies, and history.
- Created and enforced child-based, hands-on curriculum to promote student interest and receptive learning.
- Scheduled and held parent-teacher conferences to keep parents up-to-date on children's academic performance.
- Planned field trips to enrich students' educational experiences outside of the traditional classroom setting.
Education
M.D. - Guidance Counseling
University of Phoenix
Tempe, AZ12-1991
Master of Arts - Special Education
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA05-1977
Bachelor of Science - Early Childhood Education
University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, MD05-1974
Skills
- Database management
- Team collaboration
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Organization skills
- Interpersonal communication
- Membership tracking
- Bulletin preparation
- Writing and editing
- Communication systems
- Office administration
- Record-keeping
- Community outreach
- Classroom management
- Student assessment
- Lesson planning
- Relationship building
- Adaptability to change
- Conflict resolution
- Interactive learning
- Inquiry-based learning
- Student motivation
- Learning styles
- Group instruction
- Special education
- Alternative learning methods
- Assessment tools
- Student-centered learning
- Parent-teacher communication
- Cooperative learning
- Curriculum development
- IEP planning
- Instructional methods
- Innovative lesson planning
- Learning assessments
- Differentiated instruction
- Student rapport
- Learning strategies
- Positive role model and mentor
- Empathy and patience
- Visual aids utilization
- Creative lesson planning
Affiliations
- I have recently left the mountains of Colorado to be closer to my family in Richmond and am in the process of getting reacquainted with the East Coast.
- Music is life giving for me, and having the opportunity to dance along is a joy.
- I also enjoy escaping into a good book or spending a day on the beach, listening to the ebb and flow of the waves.
Timeline
Driver
Dog Training Elite
03.2023 - 01.2024
Church Secretary
Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren
11.2015 - 06.2025
Teacher
Douglas County Schools
08.1978 - 05.2009
M.D. - Guidance Counseling
University of Phoenix
Master of Arts - Special Education
James Madison University
Bachelor of Science - Early Childhood Education
University of Maryland, College Park