Kindergarten Preparation Archives

Matthew Friedman

October 1, 2019

Matthew Friedman is a former elementary school teacher turned full-time private tutor and learning specialist. He worked in Bronx Public Schools for 8 years, six as a classroom teacher and two as a SETSS Provider (special education). He has experience teaching a wide range of students ranging from early intervention to acceleration. Matthew is able to relate the material to students’ interests in order to garner excitement from students and foster a love of learning. Matthew goes well beyond just a role as a tutor, often serving as a mentor for students and advising parents on issues both inside and outside of the classroom.

Prior to his teaching career, Matthew attended the Horace Mann High School in the Bronx, The University of Wisconsin- Madison for college and New York University where he earned his Master’s Degree in Childhood Education and teaching Students with Disabilities. Throughout his career, Matthew has taught a wide range of learners in a variety of educational settings. He taught grades 1, 3, 4, and 5 as a classroom teacher, and as a SETSS Provider he serviced students in grades K through 8.

Matthew Friedman believes that students learn best when they are comfortable, so he often spends a few minutes at the beginning of each session “breaking the ice” by discussing whatever is of interest. He has an uncanny ability to make work “fun” without needing to play games. However, you can always count on him to have educational games ready when appropriate.

In addition to his tutoring caseload, Matthew currently works part-time at Avenues: The World School as a SETSS Provider and intervention tutor. While working in Public Schools, Matthew organized grade-wide spelling bees and various math competitions. His favorite children’s authors are Matt Christopher and Jake Maddox.

In his free time, Matthew enjoys spending time with his wife and two young daughters, going to Broadway shows, concerts and sporting events. He was the Captain of the Horace Mann Tennis Team in 2000 and still finds time to play tennis. Matthew is also an avid New York and Wisconsin sports fan who enjoys attending sporting events and playing fantasy baseball and football.

Marisa Krohn

April 6, 2018

By all accounts, Marisa Krohn was born to be an educator. Regularly buried behind a book and eager to share her understanding of the world with others, she enthusiastically announced she would be a teacher on a questionnaire in first grade and never looked back. Marisa brings this same enthusiasm and spirit for learning to her everyday work as a teacher and private tutor.

Marisa Krohn’s lifelong ambition to be a teacher was realized when she attended New York University to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and Psychology. At NYU, Marisa had the opportunity to student teach in diverse settings, from private specialized schools for students with learning disabilities to self-contained classrooms for students with Autism. This broad ranging experience allowed Marisa, from early in her career, to pull from multiple resources and disciplines to serve her students in an individualized and thoughtful manner. She obtained her Masters of Arts at Teachers College in Reading Specialization, and served as a practicum supervisor after completion, advising graduate students on their instructional strategies and clinical decision-making. She most recently completed an advanced graduate degree, a Masters of Education in Leadership for Educational Change from Bank Street College of Education.

Currently a School Building Leader in District 1 in Lower Manhattan, Marisa supervises instructional staff, leads educational programming and develops curriculum. Before that, Marisa worked for nearly a decade at PS 234 in TriBeCa, where she served as the school’s Special Education Liaison. Her role encompassed teacher coaching and professional development in addition to serving as an inclusion teacher and a K-5 academic interventionist. Over the course of her career at PS 234, Marisa served in many roles and grade placements from Kindergarten to Fifth grade. Prior to joining New York City Public Schools, she worked as a preschool teacher in a private school and a preschool SEIT.

Marisa is a Reading Specialist and an experienced literacy and math interventionist. She is trained in Orton-Gilingham methodology, including PAF, Wilson Fundations, Sounds in Motion, and Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills. As a classroom teacher, Marisa incorporated explicit phonics instruction into her literacy instruction, equipping students with both the tools they needed to access text and develop a lifelong love of reading. Her writing intervention training includes the implementation of SRSD methodology. Additionally, Marisa is an experienced math teacher skilled at implementing TERC Investigations and Contexts for Learning curriculum.

Marisa has presented professionally on a range of topics, including literacy and inclusion, to diverse audiences, including the PEN conference and to graduate students at Teachers College.

In her spare time, Marisa enjoys traveling, lounging at the beach, and spending time at home with her puppy and young daughter.

Evelyn Gmoser

October 28, 2017

Evelyn Gmoser earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education for grades 1-6, and her Master’s Degree in Special Education for grades 1-12. She is currently a self-contained, English Language Arts (ELA) teacher for 7^th and 8^th grades in the New York City Department of Education at IS125 in Woodside, Queens.

Prior to working with the New York City Department of Education, Evelyn worked in a Career Connections classroom with students with severe physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities. In all of her teaching settings, Evelyn worked with students to reinforce skills taught during daily lessons in small group and individual settings. As necessary, Evelyn has implemented behavior support plans and collected data on students through discrete trials. Evelyn has also integrated Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) methodologies within the classroom to help her provide appropriate behavioral interventions for all students.

Currently, as a self-contained special education teacher, Evelyn teaches students with various academic needs and abilities. She designs and implements differentiated lesson plans, activities, and assessments to ensure the success of a diverse group of students at a Title 1 school. She is experienced and skillful with differentiating instruction to accommodate all learning styles, strengths, and areas of need. Evelyn is trained in Really Great Reading’s Boost and Blitz phonics programs and has seen great success amongst her struggling readers; these are both Orton-Gillingham based approaches. She enhances and adapts instruction to maximize student engagement, motivation, and progress.

Evelyn is extremely passionate about teaching and enjoys finding ways to help students achieve academic success. She creates interactive lessons by integrating technology and hands-on activities with real-life application. Evelyn believes that using technology in the classroom is an effective way to get students excited about learning, while supporting various learning styles.

Evelyn is an outgoing and energetic person, with a love for education. She uses that energy and love to create engaging lessons that can nurture a classroom of lifelong learners.

Over the years, Evelyn has worked with students as a private tutor across all grade levels and subject areas, with particular focus in reading instruction. She works with students to provide them with skills and strategies for acquiring and comprehending new content as well as reinforcing previously learned information. Evelyn helps provide the students with studying and organizational skills to help them become stronger students. She feels it is crucial to help students identify their strengths, in addition to supporting their relative weaknesses, to give them the confidence they need to become successful students.

In her free time, Evelyn enjoys hiking, camping, and traveling with friends and family. She has had many wonderful traveling experiences and looks forward to continuing her explorations in the years to come.

Sage Haas

December 26, 2016

Sage Haas is an elementary school teacher and private tutor with over a decade of experience. For as long as Sage can remember, she has always wanted to be a teacher and learning specialist. She graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and a concentration in Education. Sage then completed a dual Master’s degree in childhood general and special education at Hunter College, as well as an advanced certificate in Gifted and Talented Education. While in graduate school at Hunter College, Sage was an Assistant Teacher at PS6 in Manhattan, where she developed a passion for a full inclusion model. She taught 3rd grade ICT at Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School (PS414) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for 5 years until relocating to London, UK. Sage taught at The American School in London and worked in grades 2, 3 and 4. Although coming back to NYC was short lived, Sage taught in Brooklyn for one year before moving to Westchester. She is now teaching 4th grade ICT, and she is proud to say that she truly loves what she does.

Sage believes that all children are unique in the way they think, grow, learn and explore. With the rigorous standards for school children today, Sage understands the importance of finding a way into the curriculum both as a classroom teacher and private tutor. In working with a wide range of students, Sage has been able to tailor instruction, materials, and supports in order to meet these diverse needs. Whether working with an individual, a small group, or a whole class, making real-world connections and making learning meaningful is a priority to her. Through exploration, discovery and practice, students will acquire the knowledge needed to forge connections, think critically, and foster the skills that lead to a healthy and fulfilling life.

In Sage’s free time she enjoys reading, art, traveling, hiking, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Jennifer Fields

May 16, 2016

Jennifer Mann Fields is an elementary school teacher and private tutor who has worked in the Montgomery County Public School System (Maryland) for her entire career (nearly 30 years). She has experience teaching multiple grade levels in a diverse, suburban school setting. Jennifer believes that the key to providing a strong educational environment for her students is to create lasting relationships between teacher, student, and family. After those connections are formed, Jennifer has been able to encourage her children to move past their wildest expectations.

Throughout her career, Jennifer has had extensive experiences with all different types of learners. She has been a General Education Teacher in a Special Education Inclusion classroom many different times. These classrooms require Jennifer to collaborate with Special Education Teachers quite often and work together to best meet the needs of a wide variety of learning styles and challenges. Most frequently Jennifer works with children who have specific learning disabilities (in the areas of reading, writing, or math), ADD/ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Individual accommodations are implemented in Jennifer’s classroom so that everyone has an equal chance to access all curriculum.

In addition, Jennifer has also worked with students who are in need of extra enrichment. She has taught the William & Mary Reading Program, Junior Great Books, Jacob’s Ladder, and Soar to Success. Along with many other reading programs, Jennifer is able to stretch her students to reach their highest potential. In the area of Mathematics, Jennifer has taught very advanced concepts (middle school math classes) to children as young as 3rd and 4th grade. She was the Math Olympiad Club Coordinator in addition to running the schoolwide Family Math Program that brought in families in the evenings to help learn how to love math at home!

Currently Jennifer is an English Facilitator in a Spanish Two-Way Immersion school. She shares a total of 46 students with a Spanish Facilitator and each of them teach two classes filled with 4th graders for half of a day. There is a great deal of collaboration and planning involved that makes this program run successfully. While Jennifer is not a complete fluent speaker of Spanish, she understands and can communicate using basic Spanish with students and parents. Teaching in this new program has allowed Jennifer to add this new challenge to her repertoire.

In all areas of her teaching, Jennifer feels that the most achievement occurs when you can meet students where they are and then go from there! She incorporates various learning styles into her instruction and makes sure that she is providing continual opportunities for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic types of learners.

In addition to being a teacher, Jennifer has served as her school’s Student Government (SGA) Sponsor as well as a member of the School Improvement Team. She currently is the grade level Team Leader. Jennifer is also a Teacher Mentor to Student Interns from both American University as well as Towson University.

In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family and friends, singing, going to baseball games, as well as attending musical theater performances.

Matthew Friedman

Marisa Krohn

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