Intro

Hello everyone!

My name is Amanda. I am a twenty something year old fulfilling goals before I turn 30! 

I was born in NYC and raised in North Bergen. I went to school here in North Bergen and teach here as well. I have been teaching in North Bergen since May of 2013. I started teaching Resource in grades 1 and 2. After that I was given a classroom, in the first grade. This year they have switched me back to Resource and it looks like I will be working with the 4th graders. 

I completed my undergrad at NJCU in Special Education/Elementary Education and Geoscience. I have just a few classes left of my Master's in Reading, here at NJCU as well. Once, I have finished, I have not decided if I am going to pursue a reading specialist position right away. Thus far, I have gained such extensive knowledge of reading and strategies to help struggling students first hand in the classroom. I would like to continue working closely with students in the teacher role before venturing off onto the next journey. It is also very likely that I will go back for a second Masters in Special Education. Prior to teaching, I worked for an adult day care specializing in adults with special needs. I helped create a program called "Independent Living Program" which is a program that specializes in helping adults with various disabilities to be able to live independently in the community. We have partnered with the United Way and have placed adults in their homes built specifically for this population. It was an incredible experience to be a part of! 

Throughout this course I hope to gain further knowledge of children's literature and how certain books can be utilized for specific goals. In addition, I hope to gain insight as how to pick just the right books for struggling students. 

I reside in North Bergen with my husband! We got married on November 11, 2014. We are quickly approaching our 1 year anniversary already! Man, time flies! Married life is amazing and I get very upset when people make comments that I shouldn't have gotten married, or tell engaged couples not to get married! To each their own! I love cooking and would prefer to cook over eating out any night. However, my husband feels that I shouldn't have to cook every night and would rather go out to dinner or order in! LOL. I have a 3 year old lab/pit bull mix named Diesel who lives with my mom just two blocks away. Unfortunately, my landlord does not allow dogs, otherwise my mom and I would have joint custody lol. 

I like to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I love the beach, random drives, and spending time with my family. As much as I love the outdoors camping is not for me! My husband and I also love to travel. Our most recent trip was in July where we spent 2 weeks island hopping in Greece. I should also mention we were in Greece during the rise of their economic crisis and had just left Athens when they began rioting! It was the most amazing and incredible experience. Despite the economic crisis and rioting, as travelers, we felt no backlash from the locals. We were treated wonderfully and had no clue of the turmoil around us unless we watched the news, or received phone calls from panicked family! In October, My brother and I are taking my mom to Aruba for her birthday for a long weekend. Hubby is sitting this one out. :) 

I included a few pictures of Greece for you to enjoy! :)

 

Amazing views of Santorini

 We visited Santo wines and learned all about how they make their famous wine! YUMMY

Our first Greek meal when we arrived in Athens!

Famous Santorini Sunset! Pictures do not even do it justice.

Myknonos! We had to walk along the cliff on this narrow path to get to the beach! Made for great pictures. This cove is also home to a lot of MEGA yachts! 

Swimming in the hot springs.

Catamaran tour lent itself to amazing pictures from the water :)

Just swimming in the Aegean Sea with the fishes!

This past year, a group of teachers and I participated in the Mudderella event in Englishtown. We had a blast! I brought our team mascot along, Roberta. She was quite the hit! People kept asking for pictures of her. We plan to do this run each year incorporating more and more teachers in our school and district! 

I live for football season. I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, I know! LOL But I watch them religiously and Sundays can get pretty intense in my home!