Middle School

Resume

Owner and Middle School Specialist

Biography

My entire teaching career has focused on providing individualized academic support tailored to each student’s unique needs.  In fact, I worked one-on-one with students even before I officially became a teacher.  After growing up just outside of Boston, I came to Pennsylvania to attend Elizabethtown College, where I earned a degree in social work.  Working with special needs students as a social worker led me to pursue Pennsylvania state certification through a master’s degree equivalency program at Millersville University.  In 1998, I started working as a special education teacher at Strath Haven Middle School in Wallingford.  It did not take long for me to realize I loved helping students in a one-on-one setting and had a passion for middle school students.

I expanded my work with special needs students when I began teaching English language learners, first at The American School in Switzerland in Lugano and then at Seoul International School.  I returned to working with learning disabled students at Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School, but at the same time began providing one-on-one academic counseling outside of the classroom.  Not only did I help students develop strategies for overcoming problems in particular content area assignments, but I also worked on improving students’ organizational and writing skills.  After I left teaching to spend more time with family, I found myself helping more and more students on an individualized basis.

As the next phase of this process, I founded AM-Tutoring in September 2014 to expand the reach of students I could help.  And that’s just what happened.  AM-Tutoring has tripled the number of students currently served.  As well, the roster of available tutors has increased exponentially, and we now offer services to all grade levels elementary through high school across almost all subject areas.  Despite all this growth, AM-Tutoring still maintains its core commitment to students: to provide individualized and comprehensive academic support that addresses each student’s unique learning styles and specific cognitive and emotional needs.

But, even with all the students I help, I still make sure to reserve special time for my three precious children, husband, dog, and daily exercise.

Why I teach?

As a younger girl, I did not always love the academic aspect of school, but could not get enough of the social parts.  I also really appreciated the teachers who knew how to make learning fun! They knew how to challenge me while making me laugh.  Sometimes it felt like they knew me better than I knew myself.  They also had a focus on life-long learning by incorporating all kinds of important life skills into their lessons.  In the spirit of these inspiring educators, I strive to have my students remember me as not only a content area instructor, but also one who guided them in how to reach their full potential in all aspects of their life, including beyond the classroom.

Fun Facts

• I have lived on three different continents.
• I have travelled to over fifty different countries.
• I ran a marathon with a fractured tibia and two broken toes.
• I eat chocolate or ice cream every day- actually, sometimes I eat both every day!