Melissa Larkin

Melissa Larkin

University Supervisor & Lecturer
School & Community Partnerships/Department of Reading & Elementary Education

Melissa Larkin has been a University Supervisor and Lecturer since July, 2022. Prior to working at UNC-Charlotte, Melissa taught 3rd and 5th grade in Wake County and 4th grade in Chapel-Hill Carrboro City Schools. She transitioned to an instructional coach where she worked with curriculum and mentored teachers in CHCCS. Melissa also served as a Professional Development Facilitator at a middle school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools where her passion for helping beginning teachers continued to grow. Melissa loves supporting education by coaching teachers to become highly effective.

Education

  • University of Virginia: Masters in Curriculum & Instruction. May 2012
  • University of South Carolina: BA Elementary Education. May 2011

Research Interests/Areas of Expertise

  • Mentoring Beginning Teachers
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching

Teaching

  • ELED 4420 & ELED 6470 – The Student Teaching/Graduate Seminar K-6 Elementary Education

Awards & Honors

  • Top 20% of math teachers in the district and top 20% in the state. (2017-2018).
  • Featured in News & Observer article “Wake Seeks to Shift Focus” (November 2013).
  • American Education Research Association Conference: Cross-Race Mentoring & Mentoring of K-12 Novice Teachers panel presenter and chair. Vancouver, BC. April 2012.
  • Charleston Teacher Quality Symposium: Building Children’s Reading and Writing Competence: Effective Practices from Beginning Teachers panel presenter. Charleston, SC. June 2011.

Community Involvement

  • Licensed foster parent in Mecklenburg County

Selected Publications

  • Co-author of “I’m not supposed to like White people, but I like you”: Re-segregation, racial literacy in young children and implications for teacher education. In J. Brookes-Buck and C.C. Yeakey (Eds.), Being on the Wrong Side of History: Critical Readings on Re-segregation and Race in the 21st Century.
  • Author of book review for Getting It Done by Chenoweth & Theokas. American School Board Journal: April 2012.