¡Juguemos a Pokémon Esmeralda!

Throughout my almost 2 decades in education, I have worked with students from Preschool all the way up to college. After receiving my education degree from SUNY Brockport, I received my Masters' Degree in Educational Administration (School Building Leader and School District Leader) from Lehman College. I have spent over a decade working for NYC DOE and also spent two years working at Barnard College, the sister college of Columbia University. 

My experiences with students in all of these age groups taught me one thing, over and over again -- one size fits none. You can't mass produce education, it only works well if it's individualized, and if lessons are taught in ways that excite, interest and engage each student. In 2012, I started a company focusing on unique and individual learning techniques. Our in-person classes taught a myriad of educational lessons through mediums that gripped my students -- we taught math concepts through movement games, language and writing skills through art, etc. During the coronavirus pandemic, I transitioned that same concept to my Outschool classes -- it's a platform that I love because it allows me to tap into kids' niche interests in an even more drilled down way than I could do in person. Now, whether my younger students are learning about a certain calculation technique via a Pokemon character, or my older ones are discussing their true passions as a way to figure out how to get into their dream colleges, I'm most satisfied with my work when I'm meeting kids right where they are. Seeing a child learn something new while he or she is showcasing expertise in a subject area of passion is a win for me and for the student. I learn from my students every day, and I'm thrilled when they feel like they've grown and gained in each class, too.