I am a Buffalo State College graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Secondary English Education. Besides being certified in English/ Language Arts, I hold endorsements in Reading and ELL. I also am fortunate to have been trained in Holocaust Studies by my school district and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. I have taught in a variety of situations. Most recently, I was an English teacher to "at-risk" students, ages eleven to seventeen, encompassing 6th to 12th graders. The trauma-informed residential facilities where I am assigned trained me in the Sanctuary behavior model. The basis for this evidence-supported system is on creating and maintaining a "nonviolent, democratic, productive community to help people heal from trauma." I believe working in this Sanctuary environment made me not only a stronger teacher but also a better person. My passion is teaching, and every student is capable of learning, but not in the same way and not at the same time.