Experienced and Passionate Elementary Teacher

Isabelle H.

I am an experienced and passionate teacher.

I earned undergraduate degrees in psychology and elementary education, from Earlham College and the University of Iowa. My masters degree, from Michigan State University, is in Teaching and Curriculum. I have a current teaching license in Texas.

I started teaching in 1987, when I spent two years teaching first grade at Grimes Elementary School in Houston, TX. From there I moved to Hamina, Finland where I spent a year teaching English to pre-k and kindergarten children. After that, I joined the Istanbul International Community School for two years as a second grade teacher. I also taught second grade at the International School of Amsterdam, after which I moved to France to teach 3rd, 4th and 5th grade reading and English, as well as science, social studies, and American history. I moved back to Amsterdam, where I taught third grade for the next two years. Before returning to the USA, I taught 4th grade for St. John’s International School in Waterloo, BE.

Since then, I have taught reading intervention for students at risk of falling behind their peers in terms of academic success. First, I taught with Mounds View School District, then later with the Learning Disability Association of Minnesota. These lessons gave me experience working with individual students as well as small groups. I have a strong background in teaching students who speak languages other than English at home, and students struggling to make sense of academic skills and concepts.

As a tutor, I emphasize: academic vocabulary, using hands-on, concrete experiences, and maintaining a light-hearted, ‘risk free’ tone in which my students are able to feel comfortable and enjoy exploring educational topics.

Please contact me if you have additional questions or would like to schedule a lesson.