I taught in public and private schools at the secondary (grades 6-12) for 10 years and at the college level for 6 years. I was an item writer for the Proficiency (Checkpoint A) exam and Regents (Checkpoint B) exam in NY, before it became an exam to be written at the local level. Most recently, I have been grading Elementary Common Core Math and ELA exams.

I did assessments for students who were seeking college credit for life experience, home tutored students at a local school district, and helped grade tests for for people who wanted to be French or Spanish teachers or seek a bilingual extension on their current teaching license.

I regularly attend foreign language conferences to keep up on the latest teaching methods and belong to several local clubs to keep my language skills fresh. I have traveled to France, Switzerland, Quebec, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. I have spent 4 summers studying abroad.

I use a variety of methods to reach all learners: auditory, visual, and hands-on learners. I bring the real world to you, using a variety of resources on- and off-line. If we are practicing the numbers, then we use some resources with numbers, like the TV or movie schedule, or some numbers from a phone directory.

It is very rewarding to see my students succeed in learning a language, especially when they have that aha! moment after understanding a difficult concept.

In my free time, I attend language clubs in my area, ballroom dance, and volunteer at the food bank, and other local groups. I have donated tutoring hours to help a local nonprofit raise money. I am also in the process of learning my 5th language, Portuguese!