Fun Facts

I started keeping my first journal in third grade when I was having trouble falling asleep at night. Today, I am a sound sleeper and even better writer. I write for myself and I write to survive. When I'm feeling brave, I like to share my writing with others. If I'm not writing, I might be running, dancing, painting, or baking delicious chocolate chip zucchini bars.

About Me

I am an artist, writer, and educator who recently relocated to New York City from New Orleans, Louisiana, where I was teaching elementary school through Teach for America in a public charter school in the Upper Ninth Ward. I graduated summa cum laude from Macalester College in 2010 with a major in American Studies and a minor in Urban Geography. In 2009, I studied abroad in Northeastern Brazil, and I have maintained close connections there with several communities and organizations. This past summer, I spent several weeks painting a mural for a collective of environmentally sustainable seaweed farmers in Flecheiras, Brazil.

My certification is for K-12 education/new-york/brooklyn">Special Education, and I have two years of full-time classroom experience teaching Math and English Language Arts (ELA) to elementary students of varying abilities. My students' exceptional academic growth is a testament to my ability to nurture and challenge them to reach their full potential. I am most passionate about teaching early literacy, but as a lover of literature and a published writer, I am comfortable brooklyn">tutoring students in ELA at any level K-12.

My experience teaching students with special needs has made me an exceptionally patient, dedicated, and creative educator. I recognize that every student is different, and as a brooklyn">tutor, I seek to adjust my methods to meet the student's unique needs. I believe that brooklyn">tutoring--like all aspects of education--should be fun and confidence-boosting. I use positive reinforcement, a sense of humor, and my enthusiasm for learning to encourage my students to meet their academic goals.