Deborah Dinardi

Education:

Master of Arts, Teaching, Boston College, 1999

Bachelor of Arts, English and Secondary Education, Boston College, 1998

Certifications:

Massachusetts Professional Licensure (5-12); Sheltered English Immersion Endorsement (SEI)

Deborah has been teaching for almost 25 years and supports students in grades 5-12 in English Language Arts and History, and students in grades 5-7 in Math and Science. She has extensive experience working with students with special needs and learning disabilities, especially ASD, behavioral needs, and social/emotional needs. She is endorsed in Sheltered English Immersion and tutors English language learners. She supports students with executive functioning skills. She prepares students for all aspects of the college admission process, from start to finish, and supports students with admission essays, interviews, and FAFSA forms. Additionally, she prepares students for the verbal sections of the SAT and AP exams for ELA. She has served as an 8th grade English teacher in Massachusetts since 2000.

Deborah says: “When I was in the second grade, my teacher introduced me to Amelia Bedelia books as we all settled onto the reading rug as a class. As soon as she began reading, I was entranced by the suspenseful plot lines involving Ms. Bedelia, the substitute teacher, and by the humorous puns Ms. Bedelia uses.  My second grade teacher was my inspiration for becoming a teacher, and Amelia Bedelia was my inspiration for loving literature and language.  Since the second grade, I knew my calling:  I wanted to be an English teacher, and I have been fortunate enough to have pursued my passion for the last twenty five years as a career. My goal has been and continues to be helping young adults develop an appreciation for literature and language.  In addition to reading, one of my greatest passions in life is traveling. From a very young age, traveling has been an important part of my life since both of my parents were born in Italy.  I travel to Italy often to visit relatives and friends; I have also been to Greece, France, and other locations within the United States, and my future travel plans include traveling to many new places abroad.  As an important part of my Italian heritage is cooking and baking, I love to cook and bake.  Most recently, I have been duplicating recipes such as lemon loaf and banana pudding from popular establishments.  Since I am Italian, I also love to watch soccer, which is a special experience I share with my family.  At one point, when I was younger, I played soccer, but I hung up my cleats many, many years ago.  When I was visiting Italy many summers ago, Italy won the World Cup, which was an amazing experience as Italians waved flags out of their balconies and celebrated in the streets.  When I was growing up, my family also spent many nights watching the Boston Celtics games.  We even named our pet bird Larry Bird! The Boston Celtics recent championship brought back so many memories of the many Celtics victories we watched throughout the years.