I am an NJ state certified teacher in bilingual education and TESOL, and am fortunate to have had worked with multiple K-12 populations. In my experience, I have worked primarily with late elementary and middle school populations. I aspire to create a classroom and school community that views the values of bilingualism and that is motivated to pursue academic success through learning in multiple languages. In addition to my teaching, I regularly volunteer in my community's schools, in addition to my work with Up the Bar Consulting. For more information about these initiatives, please click here to learn more about my service and outreach.
Robbins Elementary School, Trenton, NJ
I completed my initial certification and M.Ed. degree through student teaching at Robbins Elementary School in Trenton, NJ between January and June, 2018. In this position, I worked with approximately 70 fourth- and fifth-grade students in multiple settings:
Push-in support for English language learners in monolingual classes
One-on-one English language support for newcomer students
In-class reading support for small groups of newcomer students in bilingual classrooms
Pull-out basic English vocabulary support for newcomer students
Bilingual instruction in social studies, math, and English language arts (taught in Spanish)
I also worked with the coordinator of the ESOL program during WIDA Access testing and to administer screeners to new students. I served as a translator for the nurse, parent coordinator, and guidance counselor regularly, including during afterschool events. Finally, I taught phonics to second grade students in an afterschool program (ELLs and non-ELLs) three days per week.
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the edTPA certification exam, I prepared a thematic unit on careers that require bilingualism and that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. At the end this unit, children prepared a short letter for members of the Latinx community who pursued a career in the job of their interest.
San José de Valderas, Alcorcón, Spain:
During the 2018-2019 school year, I was an English Language and Culture Assistant at San José de Valderas, an elementry school in Alcorcón, Spain, located approximately 10 miles from Madrid. I worked with students at all grade levels from PreK-3 years through sixth grade. My primary responsibilities were with fifth and sixth grade students, which included:
Developing interactive and communicative materials for practicing high beginner and intermediate-level grammatical concepts
Teach vocabulary and grammar in English as a foreign language classes
Practicing English conversation and reading skills in small groups
Preparing and implementing a test preparation program for students' bilingual high school entrance exams
I returned as a part-time volunteer English teacher for fifth and sixth grade students during the 2021-2022 school year. While at San José de Valderas as a volunteer, I refined my exam preparation strategies and trained other English language teachers on best practices for English education. I also used data-based solutions for tracking students' progress and carried out a small research program sponsored by Complutense University of Madrid.