"I graduated from Concordia University Chicago with a B.A. degree in secondary education and social science, emphasizing history and archaeology. I recently completed an M.A. from Northeastern Illinois University in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. My full-time work has been in middle schools, while I have worked in other settings as a tutor, summer school teacher, and after-school program coordinator. In those other settings I have taught students from first grade through high school and beyond. As both a tutor and a language teacher, I have successfully taught coursework across all the core content areas of language arts, math, social studies, and science.

My first teaching placement was teaching sixth to eighth grade social studies in a private Lutheran school. I next pursued certification in English as a Second Language and began learning Spanish, which qualified me to teach both Bilingual Education and Spanish as a Global Language. I have worked as a bilingual teacher in three different public schools since then, all at the seventh and eighth grade level. Each middle school language program is configured differently, so my experience has familiarized me with a range of content areas and curricula. I have learned how to both challenge high-achieving students and build the confidence of those who are struggling. I have worked as a classroom teacher for a total of fifteen years.

I have also worked in a tutor in different learning centers, tutoring students in the elementary, middle, and high school grades. Subjects included writing, vocabulary, math, Spanish, U.S. history, and ACT and SAT prep. I have some experience, though more limited, tutoring adults: these have included ESL and prep for the Illinois Test of Basic Skills. I have taught summer school for students between fifth and eighth grade. This year I served as both teacher and site coordinator for an after-school learning program for first and second graders." less...