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Hi everyone! My name is Katie Murray, and I am a 3rd grade teacher in an ICT classroom at Storefront Academy Charter School South Bronx! This is my second year teaching, and it is my second year in New York City. I am from downtown Chicago, and I went to school at the University of Michigan, where I studied Psychology and Spanish. Outside of school, I love to explore the city, go on runs and walks, read, and spend time with friends! I am excited to grow as a teacher and leader in the classroom this school year, and especially looking forward to having the opportunity to spend extra time with a focus learner!

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Hi! My Name is Maggie, and I am a 2nd-year teacher at Girls Prep Bronx Elementary. Last year, I taught 5th and 3rd grade. This year, I am in an ICT 3rd-grade classroom for the whole year (hopefully)! This year, I am the SPED teacher. I am very excited to do more work with small groups now that I have another teacher to lean on. I attended undergrad at Union College in Upstate New York. I majored in History and minored in Sociology and French. Both my parents were teachers, so I always was surrounded by educators. I also love working with kids and enjoy school myself. I knew that I didn't want a job that was the same every day! I am so excited to not feel clueless in this second year and have the opportunity to work one on one with a student.

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Hi everyone!

My name is Sangeetha Lewkebandara. I was born in Houston, Texas and grew up with three older brothers and three dogs. My parents immigrated from Sri Lanka and I navigated my childhood being a first generation Sri Lankan American. I grew up in a big music family and my Dad opened up a non profit music academy. I was a music instructor there, and I was trained in multiple dance forms as well, eventually becoming a dance instructor. I spent a year after graduating high school abroad in Sri Lanka where I trained with a professional dance troupe and tutored native Sinhala speakers in English. I got my associates degree from Purdue online during this time. I moved to New York City and completed my undergraduate studies at New York University where I majored in Business and minored in Spanish, also studying abroad in Spain. During my time there, I was captain of our university cheer team. After graduating, I joined the Teach for America program and am about to start my second year at Nuasin Next Generation Charter School in the Bronx. I work as a Special Education 6th and 7th Grade History Teacher and I love making an impact daily! I am excited to gain more tutoring experience with students and track my progress this year in learning lab!

-Sangeetha Lewkebandara

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Hi everyone! My name is Aislinn and I am a second year teacher at University Prep MS in the Bronx. I currently teach Special Ed for 5/6 grade science. I had this same position last year. I originally am from Kansas City and I went to University of Arizona for undergrad where I studied Psychology. I now spend most of my days doing small groups and modifying/adapting curriculum to meet my diverse learners' needs. I love being a SPED teacher and being able to make sure that all my students have access to a fair and equitable education. I also love collecting data on my students' progress and using this during their IEP meetings to show growth and areas for improvement. This year I am excited to finally know what I'm doing (haha) and feel more confident in my teaching abilities as I learned so much my first year.

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Hello! My name is Ellen and I am a 2nd year teacher at Girls Prep Bronx Elementary. I teach 4th grade in an ICT class. Last year I was the general education teacher and this year I will be the SPED teacher, which I'm very excited about! I attended undergrad at the University of Bristol in the UK and got my degree in English with the intention of becoming a high school English teacher. However, now that I'm in the classroom, I've discovered that I don't love teaching ELA but really enjoy teaching math. I've wanted to go into education for around six years now, and what drew me to this field is my belief that education is the most important facet of life. Education is the key to knowledge, financial freedom, and, in my opinion, happiness. This year, I'm looking forward to using everything I learned last year to become a better educator.

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Hi everyone!

My name is Grace and I am in my second year of teaching 5th ELA at Brilla College Prep MS in the Bronx. I graduated from UT with a degree in film and dreams of becoming a nature documentarian. Before I came to education, I worked in forestry as a conservationist and a professional trail builder. I LOVED that era of my life and am very fond of all my memories, but it was difficult, grueling work. It wasn't a sustainable career, so I started considering next steps and got the idea of education stuck in my head. I would have never predicted that it would bring me to NYC, but I am so happy that I am here. This year, I am just looking forward to growing holistically as an educator!

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My name is Melissa. I’ve been teaching English for 7 years at charter schools. I’ve worked with grades 2-6. This year, I am teaching first grade at a public school. I knew that I wanted to become a teacher when I met my 8th-grade humanities teacher. He taught me the importance of utilizing writing to communicate and organize my thoughts. Throughout my life, writing has always been a powerful tool for me to record my thoughts. This is the driving force behind my decision to teach English to my students. I became invested in special education during my second year of teaching when I used to pull students with  IEPs for small group instruction. I formed a strong relationship with each of the students in the small group. I quickly learned that students are capable and adaptable to learn regardless of their circumstances. I learned that we can temporarily implement scaffolds to support our students and gradually remove them to set students up for success. I am most excited about teaching first grade. I’ve never taught first grade before. I know that first grade is a crucial year for students to internalize phonics to develop the strategies for reading and writing. My daughter is also starting first grade, so I look forward to helping her thrive in school.

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Hi everyone!
My name is Lesly, and I currently teach at Harlem Children’s Zone. This year, I’ll be teaching 4th grade Math for the first time, and I’m both nervous and excited about the new challenge!

I originally wanted to become a doctor, but along the way I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me. I started teaching as a side job and quickly found that I loved working with students and building relationships with their families. That connection really shifted my perspective and helped me see education as a new path. An incredible opportunity to teach STEM and English in Singapore opened even more doors for me, and solidified my passion for teaching. Since then, I’ve been eager to continue growing, especially in the area of special education. I’m drawn to this field because I want to better support all learners, and learn how to adapt my instruction to meet diverse needs. This year, I’m really looking forward to collaborating with my peers, learning new strategies for inclusive teaching, and growing as both an educator and a learner.

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Hi Everyone!

I am Alicia, your instructor for this year. I have served in many roles in education. I am a special educator and have worked with middle and high school aged students, primarily. I have tutored younger grades too! In a school setting, I've been a teacher of ICT, SETTS, and Gen Ed, an ICT district lead, a dean and an administrator! I've been teaching LL for over 5 year's and I'm excited to work with each of you!