I am a merit scholarship recipient and graduate of Monmouth College with a dual degree in History and Education. My certification covers teaching all subjects to students in grades Pre-K through 8. I have twenty years of classroom experience teaching students in grades 2 through 5. I've most enjoyed teaching reading and writing with a strong emphasis on building comprehension skills and writing about reading. Extensive training was provided over the years in the reading and writing workshop models with integrated social studies, science, and STEM-related projects. Seven years of tutoring students in grades 2 through 8 in reading, reading comprehension, writing, history, social studies, geography, civics, science, and test-taking strategies have transferred my teaching skills into the virtual world of education. My goal is to help students in grades 2 through 8 exceed their reading, reading comprehension, and writing goals. Reaching and exceeding learning goals builds confidence and creates life-long learners! Teaching students to read, comprehend, and write through the use of memorable mentor texts, across various genres and subjects, is a passion of mine because it makes learning fun and interesting. I believe I was born to be a teacher because of my desire to lead a child to achieve in a creative, compassionate, and understanding way. All children can be successful. My goal is to provide each child with help specifically tailored to meet their individual needs.