Hello! My name is Teacher Rebecca! I currently live in Northern/Central New York, though I lived in New York City for 10 years where I taught middle school reading and writing. I am Mama to two wonderful little ones, my son is almost 4 and my daughter is now almost 1! We are a bilingual home and raising our kids to speak both Spanish and English :) I received my Master's degree in Literacy (reading and writing skills), as well as my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education (1st through 6th grade). As mentioned above, I taught reading and writing to middle schoolers (grades 5-8) for 6 years in New York City. In 2018, I also worked one-on-one with students in grades 1-3 on their reading and writing skills. I taught English Language Learners online from September of 2018 until November of 2020. I love teaching and I love my students! I am most passionate about teaching reading and writing skills, as well as critical thinking skills. I love to connect with and build relationships with my students. I also love playing soccer, playing with my kids, watching movies, spending time outside (hiking, camping, etc.), and being with friends and family. I am passionate about creating a life-long love of reading and it is truly a joy to hear students' thoughts and opinions about what they are reading and how it relates to their lives and the world around them. Children have so much to say and I love to listen! I love to make learning fun in my classroom and I can't wait to teach your child! 

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Class Policies: 

1) I aim to keep classes close to the scheduled amount of time, however, classes with low enrollments or especially talkative students may run a few minutes under or a few minutes over. 

2) If a class does not meet the minimum enrollment requirements, I will contact the parent or learner to transfer them to a different section if they wish. 

3) Classes will begin at the scheduled time, even if all learners are not in the classroom (unless there appears to be a technical issue). I will not contact absent learners during class time so I can focus on the learners who are present. 

4) If no learners are in the classroom, I will wait 10-15 minutes before exiting the classroom. In this situation, I will contact the families after I have left the classroom.

5) Classroom expectations are as follows:
a. Learners will remain muted the entire lesson to avoid any distracting or awkward background noises for both the learners and myself. Learners will get to share and speak in class, but will remain muted otherwise. 
b. All learners are expected to be focused as much as possible for their current age. For younger learners, they are welcomed to bring a toy or stuffed animal if that helps them remain in class. Older students are asked to not have their phones with them in class so they can focus on learning.
c. Parents and siblings are welcomed to watch the class but if siblings are going to both participate, each sibling must be enrolled in the lesson individually. Siblings cannot attend and participate in class with only one enrollment to the lesson. 
d. If a student cannot appropriately behave and participate in a lesson, they will be given three warnings before being placed in the waiting room. The student will be placed in the waiting room as long as the teacher best sees fit and will be readmitted to class when the teacher feels they are ready to rejoin. If behaviors are extreme enough, the parent will be contacted by the teacher and the OutSchool team will be notified as well.