My students have described me as "goofy, cool and inspiring." I bring my whole, realest self to this very human work! Throughout my time in the classroom, I've developed curriculum for and taught courses in English literature, writing, poetry, queer studies and social studies/history. US history is my area of expertise. I have taught grades 5-8, in both general education and ICT settings.
All people have the potential to learn. With a little curiosity, a lot of fun and practice, any child can fall in love with discovering new ideas and thinking critically about their world. Learning is directly linked to our ability to collaborate with others and the world we live in, and so I tie all concepts to real-world application. Most of my curricula are project-based as I believe people learn best by doing, through revision and feedback, strong models and practice, and with differentiated support to do so. My pedagogy is informed by the theories of bell hooks, Dr. Lisa Delpit, Dr. Chris Edmin, Howard Zinn and Paulo Freire.
I have been granted tenure by the NYC DOE. I have received recognition from Teach for America for my culturally responsive pedagogy.
Public schools K-12. University: Northeastern. Graduate: Relay GSE.
I'm an NYC local, raised on Staten Island and Brooklyn. I currently teach in Brooklyn, where I am a founding staff member of a new progressive public middle school. When I'm not teaching, I love to read sci-fi and graphic novels, cook Italian, play adventure video games and swim.
4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Higher Education, Adult Education, Homeschool, Staff, Not Grade Specific
English Language Arts, Creative Writing, Writing-Expository, Reading, Grammar, Specialty, Social Studies, U.S. History, World History, Physical Education, Health, Life Skills, For All Subjects, Literature, Character Education, Writing, Asian Studies, Writing-Essays, Holidays/Seasonal, Poetry, Black History Month, Informational Text, Close Reading, Classroom Community