About Me
I completed my undergraduate degree at New York University, and my masters in special and general education birth through 2nd grade along with my gifted certification. Most importantly, I am the mother of two girls, 18, and 23. My experience in early childhood education started with the education of my own children; the most humbling and rewarding experience of my life. Both my youngest and eldest attended Mark Twain in Brooklyn and LaGuardia High School in Manhattan, and my eldest Skidmore and Brooklyn College.
Traversing the educational system with my own children gives me empathy and a personal perspective to many of the challenges of teaching gifted children.
Traversing the educational system with my own children gives me empathy and a personal perspective to many of the challenges of teaching gifted children.
I believe that...
All children deserve an individualized education.
Children in all classrooms encounter obstacles to their learning as a result of their temperament, their level of cognitive development, and their physical surroundings. A classroom environment that supports exploration and diverse learning strategies cultivates children’s ultimate potential and fosters success. This ultimate potential and success can be cultivated and effectively measured with the use of evidence-based practices, ongoing assessment, observation, collaboration, and personal reflection. Classrooms that model problem solving, differentiate work, encourage independence, and provide high individualized expectations send the message that differences are celebrated, and that no child is expected to be on “same page.”
All children need a safe enriched positive environment that fosters self-determination and self-actualization.
Self-efficacy or how competent we feel about our ability to advocate for ourselves and make good choices is vital to children’s developmental success and self-actualization. The creation of a supportive, positive academic and social environment that encourages choice is essential to assist children on their developmental journey. Life is about the choices we make and their consequences. Becoming deft in our ability to make good choices is crucial to becoming successful adults. A classroom that fosters self-determination by giving students greater control fosters personal initiative and self-efficacy. Every student’s perspective and personal interpretation of the world counts, there is dialog between instructors and instructed. Everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of their starting point, every opinion counts.
It takes a village to raise a child – collaboration and teamwork are essential.
Realizing a school-wide collaborative learning environment, which includes professional development and grade-level meetings gives teachers a forum to brainstorm, share successful classroom and instructional strategies, plan and coordinate curriculum and problem solve as a team. Pooling cognitive and skills based resources builds an environment where everyone benefits. No one can be great at everything, working as team affords EVERYONE the opportunity to work at peak efficiency.
Personal accountability and a can-do attitude are essential for success.
Whose responsibility is it to help children achieve at their highest level – the school as a whole. No one functions in a vacuum; everyone’s actions affect and in-turn are contingent upon the actions of others. Teachers are the students’ mirror, reflecting their assurance of a positive outcome. When someone believes in you, it is inspiring; it creates a ripple effect touching not only the individual student, but also the entire class, and ultimately the whole school.
“The little, or almost insensible, impressions on our tender infancies, have very important and lasting consequences; and there it is; as in the fountains of some rivers, where a gentle application of the hand turns the flexible water into channels, that make them take quite contrary courses; and by this little direction, given them at first, in the source, they receive different tendencies, and arrive at last at very remote and distant places..” ~ John Locke
All children deserve an individualized education.
Children in all classrooms encounter obstacles to their learning as a result of their temperament, their level of cognitive development, and their physical surroundings. A classroom environment that supports exploration and diverse learning strategies cultivates children’s ultimate potential and fosters success. This ultimate potential and success can be cultivated and effectively measured with the use of evidence-based practices, ongoing assessment, observation, collaboration, and personal reflection. Classrooms that model problem solving, differentiate work, encourage independence, and provide high individualized expectations send the message that differences are celebrated, and that no child is expected to be on “same page.”
All children need a safe enriched positive environment that fosters self-determination and self-actualization.
Self-efficacy or how competent we feel about our ability to advocate for ourselves and make good choices is vital to children’s developmental success and self-actualization. The creation of a supportive, positive academic and social environment that encourages choice is essential to assist children on their developmental journey. Life is about the choices we make and their consequences. Becoming deft in our ability to make good choices is crucial to becoming successful adults. A classroom that fosters self-determination by giving students greater control fosters personal initiative and self-efficacy. Every student’s perspective and personal interpretation of the world counts, there is dialog between instructors and instructed. Everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of their starting point, every opinion counts.
It takes a village to raise a child – collaboration and teamwork are essential.
Realizing a school-wide collaborative learning environment, which includes professional development and grade-level meetings gives teachers a forum to brainstorm, share successful classroom and instructional strategies, plan and coordinate curriculum and problem solve as a team. Pooling cognitive and skills based resources builds an environment where everyone benefits. No one can be great at everything, working as team affords EVERYONE the opportunity to work at peak efficiency.
Personal accountability and a can-do attitude are essential for success.
Whose responsibility is it to help children achieve at their highest level – the school as a whole. No one functions in a vacuum; everyone’s actions affect and in-turn are contingent upon the actions of others. Teachers are the students’ mirror, reflecting their assurance of a positive outcome. When someone believes in you, it is inspiring; it creates a ripple effect touching not only the individual student, but also the entire class, and ultimately the whole school.
“The little, or almost insensible, impressions on our tender infancies, have very important and lasting consequences; and there it is; as in the fountains of some rivers, where a gentle application of the hand turns the flexible water into channels, that make them take quite contrary courses; and by this little direction, given them at first, in the source, they receive different tendencies, and arrive at last at very remote and distant places..” ~ John Locke