I am a graduate of Montclair State University, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Family and Child Studies with concentration in Early and Middle Childhood Education. Being a native speaker of Spanish, I began my teaching career as a World Language Teacher of Spanish. I taught Elementary Spanish to students in grades K-5. During this time, I also taught Spanish to students with special needs in self-contained classes as well as inclusion classes. It was during these years and my interaction with special need students that I realized that I loved working with the special needs population; so I decided to further my education and I obtained my Masters of Art in Teaching: Teacher of Students with Disabilities at Montclair State University. I have also worked with adults looking to learn English in an urban community based ESL program. I am a firm believer that everyone CAN LEARN! it just takes time, patience, and sometimes even an out of the box approach to learning challenging concepts. In my experience, in order to help a struggling student, you must first take the time to get to know the student and work together to find an approach that works best for that student. I am passionate about providing students the opportunity multiple ways in which they can demonstrate their learning. In my spare time, I enjoy Sudoku puzzles, gardening, cooking and most recently have taken up knitting and crocheting classes.