I am a native Seattleite, who graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a bachelor's degree in psychology and Elementary Education (K-8). I later received my master's degree in social work from the University of Washington. I taught grades 1-3 in Boston, Massachusetts (private school) and in Monroe, Washington (public school). I am passionate about helping children navigate through life both educationally and emotionally and found great satisfaction in working in Social Services for 11 years in a non-profit that provided mentors for children from single parent homes. While I was raising my children, I began tutoring Reading part time in public schools and found that I absolutely love working with emerging readers in small groups or one to one. It is extremely satisfying helping a child become a strong reader, as it influences their success in every subject area. I try to instill a love for books in my students, while using humor and positive encouragement. I strongly believe that children need support at home, both by being read to and reading to their family members. Following this period of learning loss due to the Covid epidemic, I am enjoying working with students to provide phonics-based early reading education.