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Hello, my name is April Leischner and I am a first grade teacher at J. D. Lever Elementary. The 2023-2024 school year will be my 34th year at J. D. Lever, where I have taught a combination of kindergarten, first and second grades. The majority of my 34 years have been in first grade, which truly is my favorite.

During the 2015-2016 school year I completed a year-long Reading Recovery training, which is specifically designed for teaching first graders. During the 2021-2022 & 2022-2023 school years, I also completed a two-year LETRS course of study that provides educators with the knowledge and tools that we can use to know what, when, and how language skills need to be taught. Through a variety of initial assessments, I first learn what each student knows about reading, this then allows me to proceed with my plans. One of the first things that my students do each year is set a goal, what do they want to be able to do before they go to second grade. Watching my students achieve their goals and even overcome them is wonderful. If you pass by my door, you will usually see children working in small groups on the floor or at a group of desks. They will not be sitting at desks completing worksheets... Students learn better by being engaged in the classroom and when they are engaged, they have fun learning. 

When I am away from school, I enjoy teaching Children's Church, spending time with my family and enjoying my view of the countryside from my front porch hammock. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 35 years and we have two children who both attended J.D. Lever. Our daughter graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2017 and is a chemical analyst in Columbia, while our son graduated from the University of South Carolina Aiken in 2022 and is an Associate Manufacturing Engineer right here in Aiken.  

I can honestly say that I love teaching! I COULD have retired at the end of the 2017-2018 school year with full benefits; however, I can't imagine myself not teaching. I think that I will stick around for a while longer.