Alla has worked with children for over 11 years. In 2017 she transitioned from a research position at the NYU Child Study Center to a career in education by joining Teach for America. Since then, she has taught kindergarten and 1st grade. Alla has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology from Columbia University. She is also dual certified with a master’s degree in general and special education from the Relay School of Education. Currently she works as a 1st grade teacher at a charter school in Brooklyn. When she is not teaching, she loves spending time with family, traveling, and discovering new street art.

Clorene has worked with elementary school aged students for over 8 years in both charter and public schools. She is currently in her fourth year teaching kindergarten in a Brooklyn public school. Clorene completed her Bachelor’s degree in Early Child Education, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Disability Services in Higher Education at CUNY School of Professional Studies. She is dual certified to teach general and special education students from birth to second grade. She is passionate about helping students become intrinsically motivated to learn, and helping students build self confidence in their academic skills. When she’s not teaching she practice Bhakti yoga, spend time with family, and love to explore NYC!

Christina has worked in elementary education for six years. She is currently a 1st grade teacher at Avenues: The World School in Manhattan and has previously taught kindergarten through 2nd grade. Christina has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Master of Education in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education. She loves teaching reading, writing and math small group and one-to-one settings. Christina makes a point to use funny books and games to ensure that learning is fun during sessions. When she’s not teaching, she’s playing Dungeons & Dragons, rock climbing, and rooftop gardening!

Kathleen currently teaches third grade in Cobble Hill and has taught elementary children in second through fourth grade. She previously taught at Nest+m and also builds girls’ confidence at Curious Jane. Kathleen loves to bring creativity into her tutoring sessions, making them fun and engaging! When she isn’t teaching she loves karaoke and singing!

Brian is in his tenth year of teaching early childhood. He has taught in private and charter schools, in ages ranging from two years old through first grade. Brian has a warm and calm presence that both delights and captures young children!

Lindsay has been teaching for over 14 years in both private and public schools. She currently teaches first grade in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Lindsay has a master’s degree in both special and general childhood education.

Sam is a 1st grade teacher at a charter school in the Bronx! Prior to teaching in NYC, Sam taught in 1st and 3rd grade in Dallas, Texas. He got his degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Texas. Sam’s passion for education is in early reader’s literacy skills, mathematics, and the importance of building strong relationships with his students! When he is not teaching, he loves to spend time with his corgi, go to concerts, and try out new coffee shops!

Lamar Devine is in his seventh year of teaching a Gifted and Talented class in Manhattan. He is a graduate of Hunter College’s Early Childhood Education Master’s Program and the Gifted and Talented Program. The best part of his day is always working with children on a one-to-one basis. Seeing the joy in their eyes when they finally grasp a concept is the ultimate reward that brought him to teaching in the first place. He specializes in preparing students for the Gifted and Talented exams (OLSAT and NNAT2 and the New York State Exams ELA / Mathematics (Grades 3-5). When he is not teaching, Lamar enjoys visiting family and friends, listening to all types of music, and he is a big movie fanatic! He also likes to take trips with his twin brother around the world.

Samantha has been teaching for over seven years. She is currently teaching first grade in a public school in Park Slope. She’s worked in both public and charter schools with ages ranging from pre-school up until 3rd grade. She has a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University in Early Childhood and Special Education and is finishing up her master’s degree as a reading specialist. When she’s not teaching you can find her trying out new recipes or DYI-ing!

Genesis joined Teach For America in 2014 and since then she has been teaching as a kindergarten and first grade teacher. She has a Bachelor’s degree in History as well as a minor in Education from Rowan University and completed her teacher preparation program at Rutgers University. Currently she works as a first grade teacher at a charter school in Brooklyn. Her work in education has revolved around early literacy and assisting English Language Learners. Her interests include traveling, baking and spending time with her family.

Victoria has been a public school teacher for over 4 years. She currently teaches second grade and has also taught kindergarten and first grade. While teaching, Victoria previously instructed two after school programs to give students extra help with their academics. She has a Bachelor’s degree in childhood education from St. Francis College and a Master’s degree in early childhood education from Brooklyn College. She likes to make her lessons interactive so that her students can enjoy what they are learning and be more hands on! Outside of teaching, she likes to go out and try new places to eat with delicious meals! She also likes to relax with a good book, preferably outside if the weather is nice!

Courtney is currently teaching 4th grade gifted and talented in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She also has experience as a 5th grade G&T teacher. In addition to her Childhood Education degree, she has her gifted license and is finishing up her master’s degree as a reading specialist. Courtney is passionate about helping students feel more confident and reach their full potential while having fun and helping them think creatively. When Courtney is not teaching, you can find her at the beach, watching sports, making healthy desserts, but most likely spending time with her puppy, Roo!

Tamar is a second grade teacher at a public school in midtown Manhattan. Her experience at her current school has given her a strong background in a variety of phonics programs and literacy instruction. Prior to teaching in NYC, Tamar taught fourth grade in Rochester, NY. She received her degree in Early Childhood/Childhood Education from SUNY Fredonia. Tamar has also studied Applied Behavior Analysis at Hunter College. Tamar is passionate about making the youngest of learners fluent readers as well as enthusiastic problem solvers. She believes that the most learning happens when students are engaged, feel respected, and loved by their teachers. When she’s not teaching, she loves traveling, reading, dining out, and trying new workout classes.

Brianna currently teaches 3 year olds at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Day School. She grew up in Milford, CT and obtained an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Art Therapy from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Rockland County, NY. She moved to NYC afterwards to obtain a Master’s in Early Childhood Education at Pace University and has lived here since 2016. Brianna has taught in Reggio Emilia inspired and International Baccalaureate programs, working with a range of age groups from 2 year olds to Kindergarteners. In her spare time, she loves to read, stay active, travel, and spend time with her family and friends!

Shantell has been teaching for three years. She is currently a 3rd grade teacher at a charter school in Brooklyn. Before teaching 3rd grade, she taught 4th grade for two years. She earned her bachelor’s degree and certification in Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) from Pace University and her master’s degree and certification in Middle School ELA (Grade 5-9) from Relay Graduate School of Education. She enjoys instilling a love for learning in all of the students she works with and it brings her joy when she sees students become confident with content that they may have found difficult. During her free time, she enjoys writing poetry and attending poetry slams and spoken word events.

Fiona currently teaches third grade at a public school in Brooklyn. This is Fiona’s fourth year teaching and she has previously taught both second and third grade. Fiona received her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Childhood Special Education from Fordham University. She is dual certified in childhood education and students with disabilities. When she isn’t in the classroom teaching, Fiona loves to read books, go on walks around the city, and travel with her friends and family!

Hillary has collaborated with children (14mo-15yrs) and families for over 9 years across multiple settings of education, arts and sciences. Currently she is working as a private Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) in an early childhood program. She holds a M.S. Ed in Early Childhood and Arts Education from Brooklyn College and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Rochester. She is NYS certified to teach birth-second grade and is currently completing her Bilingual (Spanish/English) and Special Education extensions at Brooklyn College. She has specific training, tutoring and mentoring experience using the Science of Reading method and the comprehensive relationship-based DIR Floortime framework. When Hillary is not teaching she is practicing Iyengar yoga or working with clay at the ceramics studio.

Laura has worked with middle school students for sixteen years teaching English and Social Studies. She is experienced in helping students develop their reading comprehension and writing skills. Laura earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Hunter College and a Master’s degree in Education from Mercy College. She tutors elementary and middle school students and has experience helping students prepare for the ELA state tests in grades 4 through 8. Laura is passionate about helping students hone their writing and language skills. When she’s not tutoring, she’s bike riding, gardening, cooking, reading and doing yoga!

Brittney received her dual M.S.Ed from Hunter College in Special Education and Elementary Education for Grades 1-6. She is currently a 1st grade ICT teacher for the NYC DOE. Brittney’s vision as an educator is to support her students to become independent and motivated lifelong learners. Brittney’s “nest” of services include: Support in all subjects for grades K-5, enrichment in all subjects for grades K-5, social and emotional support, as well as test preparation for grades K-5. When Brittney is not teaching, you can find her enjoying all of the good food NYC has to offer, or spending time with her family, friends, and dogs.

Samantha has been working in education for 8 years. She graduated from Hunter College with a masters in childhood education and an early childhood extension. She is currently pursuing her masters in literacy education from SUNY Oneonta. She enjoys teaching students to read and write in ways that feel fun and engaging! She’s taught 1st grade and kindergarten in schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan and she currently works as a kindergarten teacher in Queens. When she’s not teaching she loves spending time with her cavapoo named Lily, working out at barre studios and reading a good book.

Tayyaba enjoys learning, teaching, and playing with science. Her undergraduate is in biology from a small state school where students were encouraged to work in labs and teach other students. Her graduate degree in neuroscience is from Hunter College. Tayyaba worked in academia for a long time before moving to a live cell imaging start-up to develop cell based assays for research labs. Currently she works as a Lab Specialist with a specific focus on healthcare and pharmaceuticals. The one thing that has always driven her is her curiosity to learn, solve problems, and figure out a solution. She loves working with curious students as they figure out how things work!