Former Elementary teacher and retired Librarian

Cindy O.

As a teacher, I always loved working with each of my students to help them achieve their best. I know everyone has a different way to learn, and I worked with my kids to help them use their talents and strengths to gain a firm foundation. As a Librarian, I continued to use my educational background to bring both excitement and learning to the children's activities that I planned and presented. I love getting kids involved and excited about the things they do!

I have a degree in Early Childhood Education. I taught for 10 years in the public school system. I always excelled in Math and was in the top 3% of any classes I took. I look at Math as an interesting puzzle to figure out, and try to present it in a practical, useful manner. Math is in every part of life, and is so much more than problems on a page.

I have always been a reader. I read all types of things. I love using and sharing interesting words and turns of phrases. I believe in speaking to children as if they can also learn to enjoy words. In my experience, they usually do!

I am a bit old school. I believe spelling and handwriting are important. I believe in allowing children to see we are not all spelling experts or writing experts, and that we are free to use dictionaries and pencils to help us be our best. Thus, practice in some of the old methods can be useful.

I'd be excited to help students find a way to use their own strengths and talents to work through subject areas that seem hard. Using my teaching experience and work in the library, I would enjoy the one-to-one work time with kids to get to know them and help create a good path to learning. I always loved the "lightbulb" moments in my classroom, former tutoring experience, and story times, when the kids just got it!