Rachel

Certified Tutor

I have loved learning for as long as I can remember and truly want every person to experience the same kind of joy and excitement at expanding his or her horizons and tackling new problems that I have. Every student should have the opportunity to feel both successful and challenged, recognizing that an integral part of success is struggle. It is so important to develop and value grit; struggling with a difficult concept or a complex problem is a beneficial process that leads to true learning. Because of this belief, I am enthusiastic about new approaches to mathematics in K-12 education, in particular. In place of rote memorization, Common Core emphasizes creative approaches to problem solving to develop mental math abilities through mathematical thinking and number sense. My strong liberal arts background has also given me great appreciation for and mastery of critical thinking, textual analysis, and articulate writing across subject areas.

As a straight-A student my entire life, I hold myself and my students to a very high standard. I care greatly about the details and hold firm that quality always matters. That said, I wholeheartedly believe that learning is a process and perfection does not come without struggle and persistence. Long-term benefit often stems from short-term "failures," so no student should ever feel either discouraged by difficulties or satisfied by ease. As a classroom teacher who works with 27 students daily, I also appreciate that each student is unique, learning through and becoming motivated by different approaches. I love getting to know each of my students to figure out how to give him or her the best learning experience possible, tailored directly to his or her needs. Particularly in the elementary years, emphasis must be placed on a strong foundation of understanding and of learning habits for greater success in the more rigid and demanding high school and college years.

I am currently an elementary school teacher, although I have worked with students from early childhood through college. In the past couple of years (including summer), I have taught kindergarten and first, third, and fourth grade. I am completing a Master's degree in education at Fordham as part of my certification in grades 1-6 and have a 4.0 GPA. As an undergraduate, I attended Wellesley College and was cross-registered at MIT. I majored in Jewish studies and minored in history, although I took courses in everything from microeconomics to psychology, and I graduated with a 3.92 GPA. At Wellesley, I worked as a statistics teaching assistant and volunteered as a kindergarten literacy tutor, an early childhood center student teacher, and a college tour guide. I worked as a kindergarten and afterschool teacher at a prestigious private school in Boston after graduation, before returning to school to complete a Master's in Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University with a 3.96 GPA. I hope to continue school after completing this second Master's degree because I love education as both a teacher and a student!