I serve students in Grades 4-8 at the La Mesa Arts Academy (LMAAC) in the La Mesa-Spring Valley (LMSV) School District. As I have two masters’ degrees, one in Teaching and one in School Counseling, my experience in education has been in two domains. I have worked in the LMSV school district for 25 years as a middle school teacher, school counselor, and intervention teacher. Prior to working at LMAAC, I taught 7th and 8th grade Language Arts, 7th grade Social Studies, Drama, Advancement Via Individual Determination and Study Skills. My role as an academic intervention teacher has afforded me the opportunity to work with students in Grades 4-8 who are identified as at-risk or English learners. This opportunity has enabled me to study ways to improve reading.