I am a queer autistic, adhd, and disabled educator who has specialized in creating a learning environment which centers neurodiversity and encourages positive self-identity and acceptance. 
I began reading at the age of three and have averaged multiple books a week since. Fantasy has always been a genre of choice for me. 
 I have a honor's in discipline in English from East Tennessee State University where my focus was on middle grades and young adult literature. I was a peer tutor for four years teaching college level English including preparing students to take the GRE for an additional two years. I have been teaching online book clubs for two years online and last year my average student who took standardized pre-post tests (The NWEA MAP Growth exam) improved their reading placement by two grade levels.  
I completed my undergraduate thesis on the subject of middle grades literature and won local and state wide awards including having the honor of presenting at a statewide conference for outstanding undergraduate research. In this thesis, I critically analyzed middle grades literature for representations of complex issues related to neurodivergency and disability across genres. I also completed graduate level coursework in disability studies including studying under an active lawyer for the United Nations working on disability rights policy. 
Relevant Coursework: 
Read 3100 Teach Read for K-6. This course is exceptionally relevant to this course as it provided a foundation in the science of reading approach which provides explicit, direct, and accurate phonics based instruction to support all readers. This is utilized in this course despite the difference in age ranges through optional spelling activities to support learners who may have lagging skills in reading and spelling. 
Read 3200: Teaching Writing and Language Arts. This course provided frameworks and strategies for teaching writing in motivating ways to students and for understanding the development pathways of writing and language arts. 
Eng 3118: Honor's Lit Focus. In this focus I explored representations of American History, focusing on the complex history of  California, through a variety of literature for adolescents. This class also modeled engaging ways of teaching literature for this age group and dealing with complex subject matter. 
English 4077: Literature For Adolescents This class focused on the teaching, critical analysis, and exploration of literature for middle school students. It explored methods of education and dealing with complex subject matter as well as strategies for evaluating texts both academically and developmentally. 

Homework Offered
Students will be expected to read the assigned reading approximately 100 pages a week and complete at least one writing prompt. Grammar and spelling review lessons are provided and encouraged.
Assessments Offered
Grades Offered

Holler of the Fireflies by David Barclay Moore, The Backyard Secrets of Danny Wexler by Karen Pokas, and Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods by Catherynne M. Valente.