About Me...

I am a wife and mother of three amazing children.

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Before I discuss my qualifications, I'd like to explain why I decided to become a teacher, specifically a reading teacher.  I was a struggling reader.  I was always in the lowest reading group.  I was one of the last to finish my classwork; I'd sit and stare at my uncompleted work for hours.  I hardly did my homework.  My parents were Italian immigrants who didn't know how to help me.  My third grade teacher was not at all sympathetic to my needs.  I dreaded school.  Fast forward to sixth grade.  My sixth grade teacher did not give up on me.  She worked with me individually and suddenly I began to believe in myself.  I had such a positive experience that year.  My career path was set - I would become a teacher.  I would make sure that every child I taught would reach his/her full potential.

 

I attended Dominican College in Orangeburg, NY and earned my bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education.  After I graduated, I decided to move to Florida and start my career in Tampa.  While in Florida, I earned my master's degree in Reading Education through the University of South Florida.  Later, I moved back to New York and became a special education teacher.  While working in special education at the high school level, I realized my students needed more than just instruction, so I persuaded training in Applied Behavior Analysis through Manhattanville College.  With my credentials I was able to obtain a position as a behavior specialist consultant for the Orange County Department of Mental Health.  Within that time, I moved into becoming a special education reading specialist.  Again, I felt my students needed more than what I was giving, so I decided to become trained in the Orton Gillingham method though the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators at the associate level.   

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My path in tutoring began in 2011 when a former student's parent sought me out to help her son who was failing most subjects.  Through referrals, I began tutoring more students.  I realized that working with children on an individual basis helped them to excel at a faster rate than being in a classroom setting.

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After a bit of time, I wanted to learn other ways to help my students read.  I decided to become Orton Gillingham trained.  The Orton Gillingham approach enables me to provide intensive instruction that truly helps struggling readers.