Alexandra

Hello there! I’m Alex. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts in Musical Theater from Elon University in North Carolina, I traveled West to seek out career opportunities that combined two of my greatest loves: teaching and performing arts. In this pursuit, I taught and performed children’s theater across the West Coast, wrote for a PBS-affiliated algebra channel, and traveled internationally as an TESOL certified ESL instructor.

At Playbox Studio, I am the lead instructor and creator of the Skills Spotlight program, a 19 week course for students ages 3-5, which covers the beginning stages of reading and writing in a play-based, performing arts centered atmosphere. In the course, children are introduced to every letter of the alphabet via cumulative, sequential, multi-sensory games, all while strengthening their fine and gross motor skills. We play with clay, sing songs, practice dance moves that cross the right and left brain hemispheres to deepen retention, and act out scenes that help students to become familiar with common social interactions, strengthening social courage in their day-to-day lives.

In my work as a paraprofessional for children with learning disabilities in LAUSD schools, I assisted middle school students diagnosed with autism and learning delays. While focusing on boosting executive function and classroom engagement, I helped each student to meet objectives outlined in their IEPs, including reading, writing, math, and socioemotional goals.

In my continuing work with English Planet, which is based out of Hangzhou, China, I create and deliver engaging lessons for children learning English as their second language. In these lessons, we cover phonics, decoding, idioms, as well as literary analysis by utilizing multi-sensory learning techniques such as TPR, singing, chanting and screen drawing.

It is my passion to discover creative teaching approaches that benefit each student’s unique needs. I believe every child deserves respect and access to the care it takes to fully absorb educational concepts on their own terms. By identifying each student’s strengths and honoring their specific challenges, we can boost confidence, discover a love of learning, and pave the way to self-assured independence.