Hi there, I’m Rachel

As a teacher of English as a New Language (ENL) in Westchester County, New York, I work with individuals and small groups of students in kindergarten through fifth grade to support and help develop their English language proficiency in all content areas.

After graduating from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York in 2001, I moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to teach third grade at a private bilingual school. I lived there for three years and continued to teach fourth grade and fifth grade while building close and lasting relationships with my students, many of whom I am still in touch with today. While there, I met my husband, married and had our first child. After moving back to New York and taking some time to raise my three children ages 15, 12 and 6, I realized that I missed the classroom and the students, especially working with children learning academic content in a new language. I returned to Manhattanville College and completed a Master of Professional Studies degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

I am a patient, caring and friendly person, which helps break down some of the barriers that can exist with children learning English as a new language. I remember that when I first moved to Honduras and spoke very little Spanish, it was stressful and scary at times. With the help of a patient and kind co-worker, I was able to build the confidence I needed to take risks with the language, make mistakes, and ultimately communicate better. 

I believe that building strong and trusting relationships with my students helps them to feel more comfortable and confident learning English. I encourage them to share their own language and cultural experiences so that they can make important and valuable connections to the content and language. I focus on my students' individual needs so that they can progress and communicate effectively in four language areas: speaking, listening, reading and writing. By building and expanding their academic language and vocabulary, my students will be better able to actively participate in their grade-level content.