Education:

Bachelor of Fine Arts
Certified Behavior Specialist 

Experience:

Worked in a clinic and classroom setting with children on the Autism Spectrum under the supervision and training of Board-Certified Behavior Analysts and Applied Behavior Analysis Therapists.

I have been at HRLA for 10 years working at middle and high school levels with students with EBD, Autism, and/or learning disabilities. I have worked my way up from being a Teaching Assistant to a Lead Teacher to now an Administrator. I have worked as a Teaching Coach and a Campus Mentor, where I helped to develop staff from within. I provide support to teachers through training to implement strategies that both address behavior and academic challenges in the classroom. I currently work as an Academic Supervisor. My role is to develop teachers and staff through training and support, while preparing curriculum and a course plan for students to graduate successfully.

Teaching Philosophy:

My teaching philosophy is to challenge my students to reach their full potential. To never accept the answer of “I don’t know” or “I can’t” as an excuse to not try. I feel it’s important to provide fun, creative opportunities through field trips, plays, and activities to leave lasting memories for them to reflect on for years to come. I believe in exposing the students to the Arts and encouraging creativity and outside-the-box thinking to help broaden their scope of possibilities. That if they can dream it, work for it, and stick with it, then they can be it. I strive to promote students’ positive self-image by affording them with the opportunity to have a voice in the classroom through in-depth group discussions and activities. My purpose is to provide them with the best possible tools for success through individualized instruction, and a fun, loving, learning environment devoid of bullying or negativity.