I have a passion for working with young people. I enjoy helping them learn academically and grow emotionally, and to gain the confidence they need to navigate life’s challenges. I have fed this passion in a variety of settings, for 30 years, in both the public and private sectors. I specialize in working with students with Autism, Learning Disabilities and/or Mental Health Issues. Because every student deserves to feel confident in their ability to learn.
For nine years I taught Taekwondo and Leadership Skills to students at HMD Academy of Taekwondo (an internationally-acclaimed martial arts school). And when, in response to the pandemic, we began offering online only classes using zoom (ages 5-adult) and pre-recorded videos, I was surprised by the way some students seemed to thrive while others languished. I enjoy the zoom platform and the unique opportunities it gives for students with disabilities to manage their environments and take control of their learning.
During my time at the Academy, I managed memberships, created curricula and lesson plans, coached and trained youth assistants, and advocated for and modified techniques for students with Learning Disabilities. My emphasis was on coaching, mentoring, goal-setting, and overcoming obstacles for students to reach their full potential and achieve their goals.
I taught private, cross-curriculum classes in History, Literature, and Writing to groups of high school students (age 15-18) for 2 years in partnership with local homeschooling families. I created the curriculum for these classes, including all assignments and activities. Class size was small, and the emphasis was on academic writing and Socratic discussion. I reveled in the freedom we found apart from the confines of co-ops and public schools.
I homeschooled my three Autistic children K-12 for 20 years. I accommodated their disabilities by modifying existing curricula, creating my own curricula under the supervision of their disability support staff, and partnering with local public school professionals to maximize the benefit of their home education experience. My only regret in this regard is that I didn’t get them tested sooner. We could have avoided so much frustration and pain.
While I was homeschooling my kids, I also tutored individual students with Disabilities and/or Mental Health Issues grades 6-12 in Phonics, Reading, Writing, Math, Art, History, and Study Skills, both in-person and on zoom (ages 12-18). These students were struggling in the public school setting, and their parents sought me out to help their children heal, grow to trust themselves as capable learners, and eventually be able to return to their schools. Both students were successful in returning to their schools of choice, trusting themselves to continue to be capable learners and self-advocates.
I also tutored groups of at-risk youth to prepare them for entrance to college through a program offered by our local public school (ages 11-18). During our sessions, I helped them with homework and facilitated opportunities for them to engage in higher-learning activities and Socratic discussions.
Before any of my own children were born, I worked with troubled youth with Mental Health Issues and/or Trauma (ages 7-10) at Cunningham Children’s Home. I provided Medicare-approved interventions and counseling-session follow-up activities. I also assisted the Special Education teachers at the on-site school, providing support and advocacy for the students during their school day. It seemed to me that students with atypical learning needs were often overlooked and expected to conform to the traditions and outdated pedagogy of the current educational system and fads.
I also spent a year designing and supervising after school activities involving play, field trips, artistic expression, social skills, and mental health for a group of students (ages 9-11).
Have I always been intrigued by education? Yes! I studied Educational Plans and Policies and Special Education at the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL for one year while an undergraduate. These classes led me to decide that although I had a passion for students who were struggling to succeed in the current school system, the very nature and structure of that system was the main source of their difficulty. I determined that I was unlikely to enact the sweeping changes and reforms necessary to provide a truly beneficial experience for all learners. I abandoned my plan to become a public school teacher, and instead decided to focus my energies on serving youth through adaptive and responsive interventions and services outside the school system.
My passion since then has consistently been to support struggling students, many of whom have Autism, Learning Disabilities, or Mental Health Issues. I find great satisfaction in helping them find their academic and personal strengths, resulting in their increased confidence and success. Because every student deserves to feel confident in their ability to learn.