Hello! My name is Nikki and I've been teaching for over 14 years, mostly grades preschool through 5th grade. I was a double major and earned my degree in Education and English. I've taught in special education inclusion classrooms as well as ESL classrooms. I believe all students can learn if the lesson is fun, engaging and relevant to their own lives. I like to be animated and silly and let my personality shine through my lessons. I think that students are also teachers and I can learn from them and they can learn from one another. I'll never stop learning, and I like to share my learning process with my students. 

I have a 12 year old son who loves soccer and gaming and a husband who teaches all things tech. We've fostered many dogs throughout the years and we finally adopted our own rescue dog last year. I love running with friends (mostly because I love talking and we chat while we run) and hiking and eating. I am a vegetarian and I enjoy trying new foods. 

I like teaching learners that art comes from the heart and that being creative and having fun in the process is more important than the finished product. I think drawing is therapeutic at any age, including mine! 
I love reading books where I can change my voice to sound like the characters. I love doing "read alouds," where I think out loud while reading a book so that the children can see and hear how my brain is processing the book (the characters, predicting what could happen next, recalling the beginning, middle and end of the story, etc). I like to make lessons engaging where the learner is physically doing something (example: "go find something red in your house and show us and tell us about it," or "let's make a square using Play Doh").
 I think modeling and activating background knowledge are essential when teaching. I learn best when someone shows me and then allows me try (and guides me through the process if needed) so I tend to teach the same way.