INSTRUCTOR PROFILE:
I have lived in Arizona for 40 years, so I grew up watching the cotton grow in the fields near our home, running through the floodwater left by the monsoons, and taking camping trips up north to escape the heat. I have two, grown children with my husband of 24 years and two dogs that require more maintenance than either of our children ever did!
I completed my K-12 education in the Scottsdale Unified School District. I began my undergraduate studies at Scottsdale Community College before transferring to ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Special Education. In 2012, I completed my Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University, a private research university based in Florida.
I began teaching in 2007 and have had the opportunity to serve in multiple roles throughout my career. Most of my experiences have taken place in the K-6 setting where I have provided small group and individualized instruction to students with a wide range of academic, social emotional, and behavioral learning needs. I’ve also served as a behavior interventionist, after school interventionist, inclusion specialist, and served on the PBIS (Positive Behavior Supports and Intervention) district leadership team. Currently, I serve as my district’s special education mentor. I work with teachers who are in their first and second years of teaching in K-6 special education settings, while providing a wide range of professional development classes district-wide.
My whole child approach to learning takes the holistic nature of a child’s development into account. While students have academic needs, they also have needs for physical, social-emotional, and mental wellbeing. I am passionate about taking an individualized and flexible approach to meeting those needs in the context of a safe environment, where a connected relationship of mutual trust and respect lays the foundation for optimal student success. I’m able to continually evaluate needs while using a variety of strategies and scaffolds of support in order to work through challenges. I love connecting with students around their strengths and interests because this increases their willingness to take risks, build a growth mindset, and recognize their achievements.
While I spend much of my time carrying out my professional responsibilities, I do find time to recharge. I am an extroverted introvert. I love being with people and make friends easily, but I do need time alone to truly reset. I find that my downtime generally leads to me to listening to an interesting audiobook or podcast while taking a walk outdoors, jumping in the car for a day trip up north, or wandering around an eclectic, secondhand bookstore for hours, latte in hand.
At Peak Academics, I support K-8 students in reading, writing, homework completion, executive functioning, and general support. I also offer math support to K-6 students.
Testimonial:
“Let me start off by saying that my son sits by the window on the days he has sessions with Mandy because, and I quote him, ‘Mandy is my favorite person.’ How did we get so lucky for him to enjoy working on his executive functioning skills so much?! Mandy has been a pillar in his success and he doesn’t even realize how hard he is working with her because she makes it so fun and seems to genuinely care about him! He has made great strides in so many different areas of his life, both at home and at school. My son’s executive functioning skills have improved and he actually looks forward to doing his homework with her! When I see him grasping her hand on the way to his room to do work - I know we’ve been matched up with the perfect instructor.”