Massachusetts Distinguished Educator Michael Delman is the founder of Thinking Outside the Classroom. Following eight years of teaching in Southborough, he co-founded the Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School, located in Framingham, and served as its principal for four years. Mr. Delman received his undergraduate degree from Brown University in Public Policy and his Master's Degree in Education from Lesley University. He has received the Teacher Incentive Award from the Anti-Defamation League, which honors ten educators each year throughout New England who have created a classroom climate most conducive to student learning. He draws upon a range of experiences — among them teaching at an award-winning school in Roxbury, serving as a counselor in therapeutic wilderness programs, teaching English and math to middle school students, supervising staff and program development, being a dad of two great kids, and skydiving with his wife who made him jump first — to enjoy and have empathy for the students and families with whom he works.
Melissa Doody — Director of Human Resources
Melissa started her career in education as a special education teacher at the Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School, where she spent four years teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. In addition to teaching, Melissa chaired the Student Support Team at McAuliffe. In this role, she worked with teachers, administrators, and staff members to develop creative plans to support students who were struggling academically, behaviorally, and emotionally. Melissa left McAuliffe to pursue two of her other passions: learning and traveling. She completed her Master's in Educational Administration at Boston College and spent eight months with her husband backpacking through Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Outside of her professional interests and career as a coach, Melissa enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her family.
Neal Elliott — Director of Training and Professional Development
Neal Elliott received his training at Clark University and Lesley University and has been a special education Master Teacher since 1975. After completing his Masters degree in education, Neal declined to attend Columbia University for a doctorate program in education, choosing at that time to become a teacher. A leader in the field of Special Education in Massachusetts, Mr. Elliott has helped found several schools and has served as the Student Services Director of Massachusetts charter schools. Mr. Elliott is known for his expertise in developing and implementing appropriate learning strategies for students with a wide range of learning disabilities.
Nancy Berkan
Nancy comes to TOC with over twenty years experience as a clinician and learning specialist. Her expertise spans a diverse range of disciplines: fine arts, architecture, neuropsychology, special education and educational psychology. A primary interest has been discovering the nexus among humanism, education, art and neuroscience. Nancy is a former faculty member at Curry College's Program for Advancement of Learning, where she taught and coached students with learning disabilities. She has consulted to special education departments in numerous local school districts. As a former partner in a Boston architectural firm, Nancy served as designer and accessibility specialist on projects in such areas as housing, the courts, and public transport. She has chaired or served on the Human Rights Committees of various institutions, including the Shattuck Hospital, Statewide Head Injury Program and The Center for Neurorehabilitation.
Nancy has a passion for all things visual. She is founder of Sandtrayworks, a venue where people build miniature worlds for learning, storytelling, and self-exploration. When not coaching, you may find her working on her latest series of drawings or following her new joy: creating websites for budding young enterprises.
Lisa Ameruoso-Gecks
Lisa Ameruoso-Gecks has worked in the field of special education for the last 15 years. Her experience includes both a private educational setting, and the public sector. Lisa graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Psychology in 1995 and from Simmons College with a Master's Degree in Education in 1999. Currently, Lisa is a certified Special Education teacher. In July 2010, Lisa began to pursue her professional coaching certification through iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching).
Lisa is excited to be able to blend her two passions, education and coaching, by working for Thinking Outside the Classroom. Through her coach training, Lisa has had the opportunity to experience firsthand the power of coaching. A favorite quote of Lisa's which resonates with her philosophy of education is "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" by Sir Winston Churchill. Lisa believes with all her heart that every challenge is an opportunity to learn, grow and work towards our highest potential.
Lisa is also the President and CEO of her own company that focuses on life coaching and wellness coaching, reflecting another passion of Lisa's, coaching individuals with disordered eating and body image challenges. Lisa lives in Shirley with her husband and young son. Her interests include continued professional and personal development, dancing, listening to music, and meeting new people.
Bob Babigian
Bob is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist who has been working in the field for the past six years. Bob has a range of experience working with students in grades K-12 who struggle in all aspects of executive functions and other learning and emotional challenges. He currently works for the Brookline Public Schools and has been involved in both the training and implementation of a school-based Executive Function coaching program. Executive Functions have become an area of specialization in his work as he has presented both locally and nationally on the topic. Bob earned his Bachelors degree from Clark University where he majored in Psychology and minored in Education. He went on to complete his graduate work at Northeastern University where he earned a Masters in Applied Educational Psychology and a CAGS in School Psychology. Since that time, Bob has been actively involved within the field as he has sat on the board of the Massachusetts School Psychology Association for the last four years and is slated to become its president in July of 2012. Bob values the importance of establishing a solid and trusting relationship with each student and approaches his work with the motto, "Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another" said by Marva Collins. In his free time, Bob enjoys spending time with his wife and with his dog, Rocky, playing and watching all sports, cooking, and traveling.
John Chamberlain
John Chamberlain is a veteran teacher of middle and high school students, as well as community college English courses. He grew up in a writing-rich and word-rich environment with parents who were both writers and book reviewers. He has a BA in English from St. Michael's College and a Masters in Creative Writing from NYU. John has a deep grasp of the writing process and its applications and builds connections and rapport with students easily. He embraces the value of study skills, checks in with clients on their progress, believes in empowering students, and has a wealth of resources to draw from, especially in language arts. Outside of work, he spends time with his family, tries to eat well, writes poetry, practices yoga and bioenergetics, and goes hiking with friends.
Kimberly Citrin
Currently, Kimberly is a special education teacher in a 5th grade integrated, co-taught classroom in Newton, Massachusetts. She is a dual certified teacher in both elementary education (grades 1-6) and special education mild-moderate disabilities (K-8). Previously, she has worked in other public schools as a learning center teacher and general education teacher, as well as in private schools for students with autism and other developmental disabilities (The New England Center for Children in Southborough and Treehouse School in London, UK). Kimberly has a range of experiences with students with emotional, behavioral and academic needs. She received her Master's in Education from Boston University in special education and her bachelor's degree from Clark University in psychology. She also volunteers through the Jewish Big Brother Big Sisters program with an adult with Down syndrome. In order to maintain some balance in her life, Kimberly does vinyasa yoga and is a distance runner working to do a full marathon soon!
Janelle Colosi
Born in upstate New York, Janelle received her undergraduate degree in regular and special education from SUNY Geneseo. Upon graduating, she followed the sunshine down to North Carolina and began teaching 3rd grade in Raleigh for the Wake County Public School System. In addition to teaching, Janelle served as a member of the Student Support Team and was a trainer of Guided Reading. From there, Janelle moved to New England and received her Master's in Educational Administration from Boston College where she also worked with the BC undergrads as a Practicum Supervisor. In search of a deeper understanding of the process of reading, Janelle earned a second Master's from Harvard University in Language and Literacy. Fortunately for her, Janelle has been able to find the perfect profession as a Literacy Coach for the Beverly Public Schools, putting all of her education to good use. Janelle also enjoys working for Thinking Outside the Classroom and bringing her experience to the students and families she coaches. In her free time, Janelle is learning to ski and golf, loves to curl up with a good book, and spend time with her friends and family.
Sara Corker
Sara is currently an 8th grade special education teacher at Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School in Framingham, MA. She teaches a math class, provides inclusion support, and leads a learning center class that focuses on improving skills in students' goal areas. Prior to obtaining her Masters in Education from the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Sara was a professional archaeologist. She spent five years studying African-American archaeology at Monticello, as well as locations across the globe, including the islands of Jamaica and Nevis. After serving as a teaching assistant for the University of Virginia's summer field school in historical archaeology, she decided to take her passion for hands-on education into the classroom. As a coach and teacher, Sara lives for those "light bulb moments" when students begin realizing their potential to become capable and successful lifelong learners. When she is not teaching, Sara enjoys reading, photography, and exploring the city of Boston.
Naomi Dishington
After spending her childhood in Papua New Guinea, Naomi returned to the States to earn her bachelor's degree in English. She then pursued a Master of Education from Framingham State University. Naomi has taught in a variety of settings, including a private boarding school abroad, as well as in a local community and state college. With a passion for reading and writing, she became certified with Academic Associates as a Reading Instruction Specialist in order to own and operate a reading business out of her home in Upton, where she lives (and reads) with her husband and three children.
"My lifelong love of learning motivates me to teach others. I strive to help students reach their full potential, and empower them to move confidently into their academic futures."Diane Fischer
Diane Fischer has enjoyed a long and varied career in public school education as a classroom teacher, grades 1-5, a Reading and Writing specialist at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels, and as a district-wide Literacy Coordinator, grades 1-8. Most recently, as an Elementary Assistant Principal, Diane has worked to design and develop programs, train teachers, and give workshops for positive behavior management and social competency; reading, writing and vocabulary development; information and study skills; and technology curriculum integration. Her ongoing partnerships with both Bentley University and The George Washington University continue to give her opportunities to keep current about higher education initiatives. During her free time, Diane enjoys fitness training, working on a children's book she is creating, pursuing her new-found interest in sketching and painting, and spending time with her wonderful family. As a coach for Thinking Outside the Classroom, Diane is dedicated to working with students and their families. Her goal is to help her clients become more efficient, organized and confident planners, learners, and test-takers by internalizing strategies and routines to achieve success in school and in life.
Annabel Furber
Annabel believes in neurodiversity--that each mind is as unique as a thumb print and no single approach to teaching is useful for all. She began her career in education serving as a one-on-one teaching assistant for students on the autism spectrum. After over 6 years working in the field of special education, she returned to school to obtain her Master's at Harvard Graduate School of Education in the field of Mind, Brain, and Education. This cross-disciplinary program allowed her to weave together knowledge from neuroscience, developmental psychology, linguistics, history, law, and education to consider both the macro and micro issues in learning and teaching. Annabel has experience in both educational practices and educational research and believes that teaching and learning is both an art and science. She is deeply committed to helping students feel empowered by recognizing and developing their own unique talents. In her spare time Annabel likes to make wood cuts (for printing), play jazz piano, take long walks in the woods with her husky/shepherd dog, and re-reading Dune with a never-ending cup of tea.
Carolyn Gold
Carolyn is a past high school English teacher and Human Resource consultant who has coached young people for the past eight years. Carolyn holds a Master's in Education (1984) from Harvard Graduate School of Education, a B.A. from the University of Michigan in English and Chemistry, and a high school teaching certificate. She is also a certified executive coach. Carolyn draws on her teaching and corporate coaching experience for the company she founded to bring support, empathy and tools for students and families with whom she works. Just for fun, she also enjoys figurative sculpture.
Michele Hearn
With over fifteen years of experience in the counseling and education arenas, Michele Hearn is excited to be part of the Thinking Outside the Classroom team. Michele's background includes numerous roles in higher education as a career practitioner and college administrator. In addition, she is a licensed school counselor for the state of Massachusetts. Michele's philosophy in working with learners of all ages is that we all succeed when we build from our strengths. This philosophy, coupled with Michele's experience in a wide range of public and private institutions, has resulted in years of demonstrated success mentoring students and helping them actualize their educational, personal, and career goals. When not engaged in the process of helping students develop their talents and skills, Michele is a mother of three and enjoys writing, running, and designing jewelry. A self-described lifelong learner, one of her favorite inspirational quotes is: "If not now, when?"
Rachel Krompinger
Rachel is a certified special education teacher who earned her B.A. in Child Psychology from Eastern Connecticut State University and her M.Ed. in Special Education from Wilmington University. Prior to joining the Thinking Outside the Classroom team, she worked for nearly ten years at a private special education school for cognitively and emotionally challenged youth outside of Philadelphia. In this setting, she served primarily as a special education teacher, though she also served the roles of classroom facilitator and homebound student instructor. Due to her meticulous organizational skills and unique ability to create a warm, inviting, yet challenging learning environment, her classroom served as the school's "model classroom" for several years, facilitating her role as a mentor to other faculty members. Additionally, she has extensive experience working with individuals with pervasive developmental disabilities, such as autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Finally, she has taken coursework in educational leadership at the graduate level in progression towards a second master's degree. Rachel's students have often reported that she is able to connect with them in a way that few other teachers can, and she strives to foster this strong working relationship in order to maximize the learning potential of every student she teaches. Outside of the classroom, Rachel enjoys spending time with her family, going on adventures to explore new places, and reading anything that she can get her hands on.
Dan Lewis
Mr. Lewis currently teaches English at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, a position he has held since 2005. Before that he taught eighth grade reading, language arts and mathematics for seven years at Trottier Middle School in Southborough, where he also served as a mentor teacher and Mentor Coordinator. Mr. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Dartmouth College and a Master's degree from Tufts University. He is certified as both an English teacher (grades 5-12) and a middle school generalist (grades 5-9). In an earlier life, Mr. Lewis led wilderness and high-adventure courses for Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School, a background that helps him motivate current students to move beyond their own perceived limits in the classroom. Mr. Lewis specializes in helping students improve their writing and their understanding of literature, but he loves encouraging young people to reach for their best in all academic areas.
David Lewis
David graduated from Harvard College in Mathematics and took up the then-blossoming field of Computer Science. He received one of the first Ph.D.s in Computer Science from Cornell. Following his love for teaching, David pursued an academic career at Brown, Cornell and ultimately Ithaca College, where he became tenured Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science. David then went on to begin a successful career as an industrial computer scientist, software engineer and software development manager. Now he has returned to his first loves, mathematics and teaching. David brings the fruits of all his experience to coaching, not only the subject matter, but also the skills, attitudes and self-management needed for life inside and outside of the school environment.
Eliana Martinez
Eliana Martinez graduated from Brown University in 2009 with a B.A. in Education, with a special focus on Human Development. She remained at Brown and earned her MAT in secondary social studies and history. She experienced the challenges and blessings of living with an autistic brother, and she provided in-home living assistance to Newton and Providence-area families for five years. She now teaches at Lawrence High School, where she is able to draw on all her past research, coursework and personal experience to build strong relationships with students from various backgrounds, including first-generation Dominican immigrants like herself. Eliana also speaks Spanish and Italian fluently, and she tutored in French during her graduate year. She is excited to begin her Rosetta Stone program for Portuguese and welcomes any opportunity to practice these languages. She uses her years of ice hockey, Shotokan karate-do and running to engage students. She and her husband are avid readers and travelers.
Kathy O'Brien
Kathy O'Brien is a native of Massachusetts who is employed as a School Psychologist in New Hampshire. She also has experience as a High School Counselor and College Academic Advisor. She earned degrees from Southern Connecticut State University, University of Houston and University of Massachusetts. Executive Functioning is an area of personal interest and additional study and training. Kathy began her career working with patients in rehabilitation prior to entering education. She has enjoyed working with people of all ages, from pre-K through geriatric.
Parents, teachers and students have commended Kathy for her advocacy, communication and leadership skills. Her extensive training and experience in school counseling, evaluation, diagnostics and consultation with educators, parents and students regarding learning needs allows her to identify obstacles and help people realize their potential.
Kathy lives in the seacoast region of NH. She has many interests; these include skiing, hiking, bike riding, yoga, tennis, golf, kayaking, gardening, quilting, baking, reading a good book, photography, the ocean and the Red Sox.
David Osborne
With 25 years of business and consulting experience, David brings a unique background to Thinking Outside the Classroom. He earned his BA at Dartmouth College in 1980, with an academic citation in Mathematics, and his MBA at Northwestern University's highly distinguished Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where he graduated in the top 3% of his class and was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. After business school, David began his consulting career at Bain & Company in Boston. He subsequently spent 12 years at Booz, Allen & Hamilton where he rose to the level of Managing Partner of their Australasian region. Throughout his consulting years, David educated executives, managers and employees from many walks of life and in various forums, including daily 1:1 coaching and development, group workshops, classrooms, off-site planning sessions, presentations and conferences, both in the US and abroad. After years of working in the corporate world, David decided to shift to a career where he could pursue his passion for helping students. His unique qualifications in the business world have provided David with the skills needed to effectively coach students in the development of their Executive Function skills as well as provide specialized support in math and science. David's experience with special education through family and friends has enabled him to develop a rich background in Executive Functioning skills, which he now brings to TOC clients and their families through a very empathetic and flexible working approach.
Melissa Power-Greene
Melissa is a certified special education teacher who received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M.Ed. from Westfield State College. She has spent the last thirteen years working with teens diagnosed with social, emotional, or behavioral disabilities in both traditional and non-traditional settings. She started her career at the Hampshire Educational Collaborative (HEC), where she was asked to help create HEC Academy in downtown Northampton. This alternative high school program provided a space for struggling students to have their academic and emotional needs met as they worked towards attaining their high school diplomas. As one of the founding Head Teachers, Melissa worked to shape HEC Academy's vision and direction during its formative years. Since then, she has worked at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School (SVAHS) in Northampton, MA, designing a program centered on developing self-control. Most recently, Melissa has worked in a more traditional capacity as a Special Education Teacher at SVAHS. Through these experiences, she has affirmed her belief that all students are capable of finding success when their needs are met and when they are explicitly taught the skills necessary to thrive. Melissa specializes in helping students achieve their goals by developing their own organizational systems, creating positive study habits, and becoming active participants in their education.
Kelly Robinson
Kelly Robinson has spent the last two decades working with children and families as a therapist, teacher, advisor, scholar and mediator in the field of special education. After receiving her undergraduate teaching certification at SUNY Cortland and her Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology at SUNY Geneseo, she moved to Massachusetts to complete her Clinical Fellowship conducting support groups and designing therapeutic programs for individuals with disabilities involving communication, cognition, executive function, and emotional regulation. Kelly received her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Emerson College in Boston. She recently completed the Mediation Certification program in the Department of Legal Studies Alternative Conflict Resolution Program at UMASS Amherst and is in an internship training program with the Bureau of Special Education Appeals in Special Education Facilitation and Mediation. Outside of her professional and therapeutic interests Kelly enjoys spending time with her three very active children, two dogs, new kitten and fish!
Linda Rotman
Linda Rotman is a certified Speech/Language Pathologist. She received her undergraduate B.A. degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). From there, she went on to earn a Master's degree in the same field from The Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA). With over fifteen years of experience, she has spent the majority of her career in the public schools working with kindergarten through high school students. Her first position was in Utah working in an elementary and middle school. She eventually moved on to positions in New York and Massachusetts, working with small groups, as well as going into the classroom and team teaching with the classroom teacher. She enjoys the challenges that each age group presents and feels that every student should be made to feel successful by receiving the proper tools and instruction, as well as utilizing a team approach. Linda finds it especially challenging working with students in the areas of executive functioning, social skills, and comprehension. She is an avid cat lover and spends time volunteering at a local cat shelter. In her spare time, Linda is a passionate reader who also loves traveling, skiing, gardening, and spending time outdoors. Above all, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and trying new things!
Jackie Stachel
Jackie has her Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Boston University and has worked at Needham High School for four years. With a unique and varied background, Jackie brings a number of assets and valuable experiences to her coaching of adolescents. A former Art Director, she has worked in advertising, graphic design, and architectural design firms. She also has extensive experience in acting, having appeared on Boston area stages in a number of comedic and dramatic roles, as well as improvisational comedy. She appeared in A Midsummer Night's Dream with a traveling company (Shakespeare Now!) that visited Massachusetts middle and high schools. Perhaps her most unique role was working as a standardized patient for UMass Medical School. As a coach, her multidisciplinary background provides Jackie with the means to quickly engage students, encourage fresh perspectives on challenges, and take risks to attain goals. Currently, when not seeing students, Jackie indulges in a passion for ballroom dance. Her most valuable asset for working with adolescents, however, is her own 15 year-old son, who keeps her current on critical information found on YouTube.
Meg Timperi
Meg Timperi discovered her desire to teach during her time as a Jesuit volunteer at Break the Barriers in Fresno, CA where she worked as a coach at an inclusive recreation and arts center. Having graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a bachelor's degree in Biology, she returned to school and received her master's degree in education from Boston University. Meg's first teaching position was as a special education teacher at the Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School in Framingham, MA. Since then, she has been working at the Kennedy Middle School in Waltham, MA where she is in her sixth year teaching English as well as study skills and organization classes to seventh and eighth graders within a resource room setting. When not teaching, Meg loves to spend time with her large extended family, to enjoy the outdoors, and to experiment with different arts and crafts such as quilting, painting, and card-making.
Megan Turilli
Megan finds joy in immersing herself in the field of education. Megan is a certified secondary education teacher who received a dual degree in English and Education at the Boston College Lynch School of Education. She is currently writing her thesis on post-9/11 fiction to complete her Masters in English Literature at the University of Massachusetts Boston. While at UMass Boston, Megan has participated in two conferences at the Center for the Improvement of Teaching. She is working toward publishing a group essay on rethinking collaboration (between the professor, student, and tutor) in tutorial sessions. Her enthusiastic and, at time, quirky personality has served her well in connecting with students at various stages of their academic journeys. In addition to coaching, Megan works in the Humanities Department at Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School as a teaching assistant. When Megan is not coaching or teaching, she enjoys reading, being outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.
Brittany Wadbrook
Brittany began her career in the field of education at Quinnipiac University earning her B.A. in English and her Masters in Secondary Education. While at Quinnipiac, she became a certified Master Level Writing Tutor by the College Reading and Learning Association and spent three years working for the university's Learning Center. Brittany completed her student teaching of World Literature with high school seniors at Sheehan High School in Wallingford, CT where she became adept at differentiating instruction, utilizing technology and creating reasonable and achievable objectives to engage students and foster learning. Feeling motivated to expand her pedagogical skill set, Brittany pursued a second Masters degree in Composition and Rhetoric at the University of Massachusetts Boston. After graduating, she became a full-time lecturer at the university where she currently teaches first-year composition to a diverse classroom culture including English Language Learners and nontraditional students from a variety of academic backgrounds. Brittany's experience with adult learners, diverse cultures and a range of learning abilities has enabled her to become a flexible educator who is sensitive to individual learning needs, motivated to match the appropriate learning strategies with the right students and intrinsically invested in their educational success. When Brittany is not sharing her passion for writing with students, she enjoys traveling, cycling, and watching football.
Rodney Ward
Rodney Ward has been a math and science teacher at Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School for five years. While there, he has presented at two national conferences and travelled to China on a fully funded "Feathered Dinosaur Fossil Expedition." He brings his enthusiasm as well as his patient and creative teaching style to coaching and is experienced in working with a wide range of students. Rodney specializes in assisting students in the middle and upper grades in the areas of Algebra I and II, Geometry, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Sciences, though he has also assisted primary students as well as college students. He is passionate about learning and inspiring the best in others.
Cheryl Weisman-Cohen
Cheryl Weisman-Cohen has spent most of her life as a teacher. Since 1999, she has worked with one of the premier tutoring companies in the Boston area, guiding hundreds of students in preparing for all three sections of the SAT I, PSAT, ACT, SAT II French, and SAT II Literature. In pursuit of her first passion, foreign languages, she studied in France during her time at the University of Connecticut and continued with graduate work in French and Spanish at UCONN and at Trinity College (Hartford, CT) earning both her Master's Degree and completing PhD coursework in French. During those productive years, Cheryl taught one-on-one and to small groups at the University. She has been a participant in several learning companies, including her own firm, English Language Services. She has also served as an ESL teacher to foreign students at Babson and Bentley Colleges. She founded and ran a children's theater company for several years in Needham when her own children were in elementary school. As a Board Member for nine years of WarmLines, the Newton-based parent network, she worked with children and families, an ongoing, exciting and integral part of her teaching and learning experience. Cheryl is no stranger to the needs of students of varying abilities and strengths, and thoroughly enjoys tailoring her work to individual students in order to help them to reach their potential on standardized tests, in the classroom, and on homework.
Lisa Whelan
Lisa has worked as a school psychologist/team chair for the past seven years. Her experience includes working with elementary and high school students in a public school setting, conducting individual assessments, counseling, developing and presenting programs related to building social skills in young students and anti-bullying for all students in her school, as well as ongoing consultation with teachers. Lisa graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York with a Bachelors degree in Biology. She went on to complete her graduate work at Northeastern University in Boston where she earned a Masters in Applied Educational Psychology and a CAGS in School Psychology. Lisa brings warmth and humor to her coaching, alongside a depth of knowledge of skills needed for academic success. She lives in Dedham with her husband and young son. Her interests include reading, watching movies, playing Words with Friends (may be a bit of an obsession) and attending Stroller Fitness classes with her son.
Katie Wood
Katie received her B.A. in Elementary and Special Education from Providence College and her Master's degree in Literacy from Hunter College in NYC. She has taught in the South Bronx, Wellesley and Newton. She had the unique opportunity to travel abroad for her husband's hockey career, and visited England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Denmark. Currently, Katie is teaching Special Education at Westwood High School. She values individuality and strives to meet the needs of each student with respect to his or her personal learning style. To accomplish this, she uses a variety of hands-on activities and teaching strategies. She also recognizes the importance of trust and honesty, and provides a safe and comfortable, yet challenging, student-centered learning environment. Katie is an exceptional coach because she knows the value of hard work. She walked onto the Providence College Women's Division 1 basketball team, earned a full scholarship, and was named captain both her junior and senior years.
