Kindergarten - 8th Grade Tutors in Hopkinton, MA

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Alexandra W.

Private tutor in Hopkinton, MA

Education

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION: Wheelock College, Boston, MA Master of Science, December 2000 Concentration: Early Childhood Education; Cumulative GPA 3.79/4.0 University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA Bachelor of Arts, May 1996 Sociology Major, Psychology Minor; Cumulative GPA 3.05/4.0 Certification Professional License: 368080 Relevant Courses & Workshops: Normal Development of Speech and Language Spring 2012 Administration of Early Childhood Programs, Spring 2011 Orton-Gillingham Level I Course, Commonwealth Learning Center, July 2009 VOLUNTEER WORK: Horizons for Homeless Children REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Experience

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Sylvan Learning Center, Peabody, MA, August 2004-2008 • Work with struggling students, grades K-12, on reading, writing, and study skills • Attended trainings and workshops • Informally mentored new-hires EXPERIENCE: Grade 3 Special Education Teaching Assistant, Fiske Elementary School, Wellesley MA, current employment Kindergarten Literacy Teacher, Special Education Assistant Teacher, Hurley Elementary School, Boston, MA December 2011 – June 2012 • Implemented Reading Street with a focus on oral language development and answering the theme and weekly questions through literature discussion • Implemented two writing units: personal narrative from oral storytelling to publishing, and an informative writing unit • Established work board literacy routines through an interactive work board • Conducted Guided reading groups(3 per day) ranging from Level A – F • Familiar with the Common Core (for Math) • Collaborated with Special Education Resource Teacher to become familiar with IEP goals and student accommodations in addition to behavioral intervention plans • built strong relationships with students and families, and work collaboratively with colleagues in a team environment • Strong collaboration with classroom teacher to assist students with their work • Reinforced importance of note taking and organizational skills to students in grade 1-7 Integrated Kindergarten Permanent Substitute, Fitzgerald Elementary School, Waltham, MA March 2011 – June 2011 • Differentiated instruction for the varied needs of all kindergarteners including children with IEPS and 504s • Attended IEP meetings and informed parents about the improvements of their child both socially and academically • Implemented DRA, DIBLES, and Kathy Richardson Assessments and used the assessments to drive instruction • Used Language Arts Curriculum as a guide to foster strong Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Comprehension Strategies Kindergarten Teacher, John Winthrop Elementary School, Dorchester, MA August 2007 – June 2010 • Implemented and differentiated instruction within the Scott Foresman Reading Street ELA program • Implemented TERC Investigations supplemented by story/word problems • Belonged to Math Leadership Team • Work within diverse (Latino, Cape Verdean, Haitian, and African American students) community • Used mCLASS: to administer DIBELS and TRC and made effective instructional decisions based on progress monitoring information SEI Grade 2 Permanent Substitute, Harrington Elementary School, Lynn MA September – November 2006 SEI Teacher, Grade 4, Connery Elementary School, Lynn, MA November 2006 – June 2007 Kindergarten Teacher, Lawrence Family Development Charter School, Lawrence, MA August 2003- June 2006 Grade 3 Permanent Substitute, Jaworek School, Richer School, Marlborough MA, August 2002-June 2003 Grade 1 Teacher, Temporary Position, C.A Dunning School, Framingham MA, August 2001-June 2002 Student Teacher, Clinical Level, Grade 1, Heath Elementary School, Brookline, MA, September to December 2000 Student Teacher, Provisional Level, Kindergarten, Mason-Rice Elementary School, Newton, MA, January to May 2000

Subject Expertise

Kindergarten - 8th Grade

Availability

Weekdays, Weekends

Can Meet

Up to 20 minutes away for no additional charge

Hobbies

August 19, 2013 To Whom It May Concern: As you review my resume, you will find that for the last 9 years I have taught several grades from Kindergarten to Grade 4 and I have assisted Special Education students in their mainstream classes in grades 3 -7. Each experience has lead to something bigger. Never did I think I would be assisting students in grades 3 – 7 with fluency activities, writing opinion / argument papers or providing test-taking strategies for the MCAS. The position I accepted from December to June of last year taught me the importance of collaboration with teachers about how to bring my early childhood background to effectively meet the needs of many more students. For instance, I worked with Reader’s Theatre with third graders which helped increase their fluency and comprehension skills. I believe that all of these experiences have given me the experience to be a primary grade Tutor. After budget pressures led to my being riffed by the Boston Public Schools at the end of the 2010 school year, I decided to be a mom and stay home with my baby through the most crucial period of raising a child. This time at home provided me with the opportunity to understand the beginnings of how young children acquire language. What was missing though through my time at home raising my daughter, however, was being part of an education community that fosters academic excellence, team collaboration and most importantly – children. And, thus, I accepted a variety of part-year teaching positions in the last couple of years. Most of my experience has been concentrated in the kindergarten literacy domain. In my early years of teaching, I made sure that I had clearly posted language objectives. My practice has now grown to more fully incorporate the guiding principles of the New Common Core that Massachusetts has adopted. With these firmly in mind, my teaching has gained much more focus and coherence. Two core values in my teaching have always been respect for the individual and a belief that ALL students, no matter what their background or the ability of their parents to be involved in their schooling, should have differentiated instruction and a standards-based approach. What remains a constant is the way in which I teach and my intention to involve parents. For example, in my instruction, by posting and articulating clear content and language objectives, providing differentiated, hands on-minds on work along with discussion, turn-and-talk, followed by assessment and closure, I work to ensure all students can achieve up to their potential. If you were to have entered my kindergarten classroom, you would have seen clearly designated learning areas with literacy involved in all content: literacy centers involving both mixed-ability and needs-based grouping, a computer center to enhance phonemic awareness and phonics. Under my tutelage, these kindergarteners developed a wide range of basic literacy skills, ranging from letter and sound recognition; to identifying initial, medial and ending sounds in CVC words; as well as to decoding beginning reader books. During this academic year while back in Boston, I engaged children in guided reading. I taught three groups a day, five days a week with grouping ranging from Level A – F. Moreover, literacy in my classrooms, however, has not been limited to skills in isolation; a theme-based approach in literature helped my students use their growing vocabulary to talk about characters and story sequence. Math instruction always begins with a warm up and proceeds to direct instruction, followed by an independent practice, and hands-on centers reinforcing in the concept being taught. These learning areas also promote both social and academic objectives. Because I have taught grades K to 4, I understand how crucial these beginning literacy experiences are to supporting students to achieve proficiency. My training and my passion lie in teaching Early Childhood, teaching all learners – whether native-English speakers or not – English, the love of letter and sound manipulation, and the wonders of learning. Thus, in this point in my career, I am pleased to apply for any afternoon / weekend primary grade tutoring positions. Sincerely, Alexandra S. Wallenstein