Socially Skilled Kids

Ever since I was a young child, I knew what I wanted to be….a teacher. Children are so much fun to be around and I feel truly lucky that I have the opportunity to engage with them every day. Early on, I discovered a love for children with special needs. I have worked with children, adolescents and adults with special needs for over 20 years. I have worked with children with a wide range of disabilities, in both private and public schools. In recent years, I have worked mainly with children on the autism spectrum. I love this group of children. I have so much fun in my job every day and I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a great job. For the past 8 years I have been a teacher of social skills/pragmatics, within a public elementary school. This job allows me to be very creative. I write all of my own curriculum which is intended to help students improve their social skills but also to THINK about social behaviors and how these behaviors affect others. Every day is a new adventure and we always have fun. I learn new things from my students every day.

I have a very open minded teaching style. I come to each session with a well thought out plan and with all necessary materials, however, I also have a big bag of "extras" just in case my mood changes and more importantly, the students needs are different than what I had planned. I believe in teaching to the moment so if something important is going on in one of my student's lives, we may spend the entire session discussing this topic and not even starting the lesson I had planned. I believe in teaching to the needs of the students in my group, over what I have written down in my lesson plan. I believe in having fun and making learning fun. I want every child to feel loved and welcomed and often greet each one with a little hug or a personal message or individual moment. My job is endless fun and I often tell people I can hardly believe that I get paid to have so much fun.

I have been honored to receive several parent awards during my teaching. The best "award" is seeing the progress of my students.

Undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education, Masters degree in Special Education

From the time I was a very young child, I have been exposed to folks with a variety of special needs. This started with my own mother who became very ill shortly after I was born. I grew up helping to take care of her until her passing and I believe this is what made me love helping and teaching others who have various special needs. I am so grateful for my experiences with my mom that made me into the person I am today.