About Me

I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in December of 2008. Shortly after graduating, I was accepted as a corps member into Teach For America and was assigned to teach in Houston, TX. I decided to join the corps to obtain the much needed experience in education before directing my efforts to a doctoral graduate study program in School Psychology (which requires pedagogical and psychological foundations). I am a certified teacher in Mathematics grades 4-8 and in Generalist grades EC-6. I taught sixth and fifth grade mathematics during my two-year corps experience and third year of teaching. I then transitioned to working with a non-profit algebra prep company for two years while beginning my graduate program at Texas Woman's University. Currently, I am focused on my graduate studies and training as a future School Psychologist, and I am working on several research projects pertaining to children with learning disabilities and deficits in executive functions (particularly working memory). In the spring of 2015, I will teach an undergraduate course in developmental psychology at Texas Woman's University. I have also previously tutored with several different organizations and have worked with students with learning differences: The Shelton School (lower elementary students reading and writing tutoring) and the UT Learning Center (as a peer educator for college students needing test prep and study strategies). Outside of teaching and tutoring, I spend a great deal of my free time enjoying my family, friends, movies, music, basketball games and food. I underwent demanding high school and college programs (including completing several Advanced Placement courses for college credit), engaged in theater, yearbook, community service, and honor societies, and completed undergraduate research in developmental psychology during my time at UT Austin. Considering my background in teaching middle school mathematics, I am most comfortable with this subject area. However, I have also tutored and supported students with study skills, public speaking, writing, upper-level math (e.g., Algebra, Geometry, & Algebra II), lower-level math (e.g., basic arithmetic), and social science areas (e.g., psychology, history, government etc.); I also am well-equipped with a variety of teaching strategies and techniques to better support students' understanding and mastery of content. I firmly believe that students learn in varying ways and that the best instruction should correspond with their learning style. It is important for educators of any capacity (including tutors) to guide student understanding with explicit instruction, modeling, questioning, guided and independent practice; however, it is equally important to also provide students the learning opportunities to creatively solve novel problems using basic knowledge, concepts and skills in an effort to challenge them and extend their mastery of the material. My experience as a teacher and tutor allowed me the opportunity to also develop strategies for working with all types of learners, including students with gifted and talented abilities and students who required special needs and accommodations. In fact, as a future School Psychologist, one of my primary roles will be to work with families, teachers and administrators to provide the best assessment of and intervention support for students with unique academic and social needs. I am aware of how important test preparation, study skills and academic abilities are for students as they head towards the next steps in their education, and I am more than willing to provide guidance and support to those students in any capacity.

Education & Certifications

Q&A with Alicia

Tutoring Subjects