Ed Inspirations

I have over twelve years of high-school teaching experience in urban NY and PA schools. I have taught every grade level and branch of E.L.A., including A.P. English Literature and Composition. I have carved out a niche in creating and teaching yearlong writing courses. I have a ton of self-created essay and fiction-writing units. I have two years of professional experience in the College Access sphere where I specialized in creating and teaching units on the college essay. I have quickly adapted to increased demands for teaching via remote and distance learning. I can help you maximize instructional opportunities on Google Classroom and/or digital interactive notebooks.

I utilize a storytelling approach to engage my students in authentic unit projects. When I began my career, I wrote several fact-patterns based off my own diverse experiences. These fact-patterns then became the center-pieces of my first self-created units. I try to generate a sense of authentic purpose in my projects and units. For example, my first essay-writing unit task asks students to pretend to be experts on the concepts of destiny and free-will and then produce a memorandum for a judge. I definitely have found success by promoting empathy too. It is much easier to meet students halfway after taking time to get to know their past school experiences, life stories, and diverse perspectives. As a teacher, I try to elevate my students' stories and give my students winning feelings!

2017-2018 Bank Street College of Education's Liberty LEADS Program Teacher of the Year

1. University of Pennsylvania (B.A. in English, 1999) 2. Brooklyn College (M.A. in English Teaching, 2006) 3. Northeastern University School of Law (J.D., 2003)

Although I did spend two years as a Founding Team-Member and English Teacher at a Bronx charter school, I align more with public education. I have always valued working with others to fight for public education funding and rights. For a decade, I coached my schools' mock-trial team in the New York State Mock Trial Tournament. In the 2017 Tournament, my Bronx team knocked off Columbia Grammar and Prep, where Donald Trump's youngest son attended. That was a great highlight! As a Pisces, I love the beach and walking by the water. I also love doing taco exploration, watching intriguing Netflix shows (E.g., Dark), and collaborating with others on unique writing projects.