Classroom Teacher
Grade 3

Role
As a classroom teacher, my goal is to instill a passion for learning in all of my students. I want to create a caring and safe classroom community where students feel comfortable making mistakes and persevering to meet their goals. My role is to encourage my students to take ownership of their learning and never settle for anything less than their personal best.

Professional Background
I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in History with a concentration in Elementary Education from Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York. After graduation, I moved to Georgia where I taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade for the Cobb County School District. In 2007, I decided to relocate to Italy where I spent the following two years. I returned to the United States and began teaching for Arlington Public Schools in 2009. I taught 3rd grade at Jamestown for three years and have been teaching at ATS since 2012.

Personal Interests
Since I am a native New Yorker, I spend a lot of my time in New York with my family. I love the outdoors! I prefer to spend my time outside. I spend a lot of time walking, gardening during the summer, and reading at the pool or beach. I love to read, and I am always trying to find new books to recommend to my students.

Literary Connection
I love to read, so it was truly difficult to only choose one book. All the books that come to mind happen to deal with having empathy and accepting people for themselves. Wonder by R.J. Palacio is a book that everyone must read. I fell in love with the characters and the message that the author sent. Auggie is a young boy who was born with a rare medical facial deformity who was homeschooled until middle school. The book follows the struggles and challenges that Auggie goes through as he starts middle school and tries to find his way. Wonder is able to highlight and focus on all the unique qualities that each individual character displays. The message that resonates from the book is that we are all unique and different, and we have to be able to accept and have empathy for others.  Our unique characteristics are what makes each of us special. “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind!”