I am a graduate student at SUNY Plattsburgh in the BS/MSEd Special/Early Childhood Education program with a concentration in mathematics. I have completed all of my undergraduate and graduate courses for my degree, and I am student teaching in NYC for the Spring 2014 semester. Throughout the past 4 years, I have participated in many various classroom settings including a K,1,2,4,5 and an 8-1-2 special education classroom. I have had experience teaching lessons, helping students with classwork, facilitating small group lessons, adapting common core modules, creating engaging educational activities, and helping students with homework. I tutor students in mathematics and reading at the elementary level because of my experiences and background with students at this age level as well as SSAT and ISEE test preparation. I am most passionate about working with students on reading, phonics, and writing, and I believe that these are a vital foundation for a student's success. As a special education educator, my main focus is on individualizing instruction based on the student's needs. I like to create my instructional approaches based on a student's interests and strengths in order to create a positive and engaging learning environment. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and participating in outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing and running.