Laura

Certified Tutor

I am a Teaching Fellow and graduate of Appalachian State University, where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 2007. Graduating Summa Cum Laude, I also received a concentration in Spanish. After graduation, I taught third and fourth grade in North Carolina. After that, I taught second grade at A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School, where we received the honor of the #1 Magnet School of America. I have deeply enjoyed my six years in the classroom. It's a true joy to watch students fall in love with learning!

Throughout my professional experience as a teacher, I have had many opportunities to teach students with a huge range of abilities, including academically gifted, ADHD, dyslexia, and autism. My commitment to maximizing individual student performance and inspiring students' interest in learning drives each tutoring session. Although I love teaching all subject areas, developing children's written expression is a real passion of mine. Since Florida Standards expect students to explain their thinking in both reading and math, it is extremely important to excel in writing. The use of visual aides, manipulatives (tangible objects for students to use while learning), and easy-to-learn test-taking strategies are appropriate and highly effective for my students. I truly believe that making education fun and enjoyable for young students is the key to producing self-motivated learners.

In my spare time, I love to be outside! I have recently moved to Florida and enjoy running, biking, swimming, and paddleboarding. My husband and I have a daughter who is now crawling, so much of my day is spent chasing after her! I also love to read and go to the library to find new books. When we have the time, our family enjoys attending sporting events, and we are excited to see a Tampa Rays game soon!