Anna
Experienced Teacher (K-12) Who Loves Teaching Children
I earned my K-6, K-12, and AG (gifted education) certificates from NC State. I taught grades 1-5 from 1990-2000 (Burke, Guilford, and Wake Counties), and was a gifted education coordinator and teacher for 14 years. Other areas that I have experience in are: - teaching students with learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and other challenges; - had top test score performance each year by teaching higher order thinking skills, not "teaching the test"; - administered end-of-grade test each year wit...
ADD/ADHD
I am a certified K-6 teacher. Working with an ADD/ADHD student requires that you are very attentive to them during instruction and practice of skills just taught. Students are easily distracted, often hyper (ADHD) and not able to keep on task due to their disorder. Sometimes as a teacher I have had to remove everything around the student that would be a distraction (books, notebooks, pencils, pens, markers, crayons, everything). I have even used tape to mark the area around a students desk to mark the area that they are to stay in because the student would get out of his desk and lay on the floor and chew on everything. I made a point during the mid-morning for the students to have a chance to take a break for 15 minutes to go outside and expend their energy. It helped everybody to get some fresh air, to work for the break, and to be able to have a snack. It made all the difference for my ADD/ADHD students to have this break. If, for some reason, they didn't get this break, they could not behave as well until lunch at 12:50. It was a long morning. I created a "blue card" for my ADD/ADHD students who would get praise every hour for good performance. If behavior was disturbing and unfocused I would be forced to note that on the blue card. They always had to write down their assignments for the next day or long term assignments at the bottom of the card. I would sign their card at the end of the day if it was correct, make adjustments if they left anything out and it was the students responsibility to give it to their parent to be signed each night. That way, communication was clear between everyone and the student was held accountable. It always helped. Some students were medicated, and that would be noticeable. Others were not and sometimes it would be painfully obvious that the child needed to be medicated. In any case, it is always my job to teach each child to the best of my ability.
college counseling
dyslexia
elementary (k-6th)
English
grammar
phonics
reading
special needs
study skills
writing
handwriting
Common Core
ADHD
Donna V. from Cary, NC
Anne was great with my son. I needed to find a tutor who could work with him to teach him how to focus and comprehend what he was reading. Anne is patient and caring. My son improved after just a few lessons.