Teaching Philosophy & Background
Judith has over 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher, tutor, curriculum developer, learning and reading specialist.
Degrees:
BA (Bachelor of Art) in Sociology with Medical Emphasis, Goucher College, Towson, MD (1993)
MS (Master of Science) in Early Childhood Education, Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY (1996)
MA (Master of Arts) in Curriculum and Instruction, Reading Specialist Certification, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (2004)
Judith began her career at The Spence School on the Upper East Side of NYC in the lower school (elementary school) as a classroom teacher. She moved to the DMV (DC, MD, VA) area in 1996 and over the next 10 years she worked extensively in the private school arena (Charles E. Smith JDS, Primary Day School, Concord Hill School, Julia Bindeman Center, Gan at Adas Israel). She was also closely associated with schools her children attended, serving on their Academic Boards at The British School of Washington, and for 13 years at Holton-Arms School.
Since 2006, Judith has worked as a private, one-on-one learning/reading specialist supporting Pre-K through 12th grade students across most core subjects; with a specialized focus on literacy instruction.
Judith’s clients come from both the Public School System in DC and MD as well as a comprehensive list of private prep schools in DC, MD, and VA including:
Beauvoir School Bullis School CES Jewish Day School Field School Georgetown Day School Green Acres School Harbor School Heights School Holton-Arms School Landon School Berman Hebrew Academy National Cathedral School McLean School Norwood School Oneness Nursery School Primary Day School Seneca Academy Sidwell Friends School Siena School St. Albans St. Andrew’s Episcopal School St. John’s Episcopal School St. Patrick’s Episcopal School Washington Episcopal School Washington International School Woods Academy
Other Training:
Research-Based Reading, Writing, EF (Executive Functioning), & Math Approaches:
-Orton-Gillingham (Preventing Academic Failure), Bank Street College of Education; New York, NY (2020) -Joy of Phonics -Oxford Reading Tree Instruction -The Writing Revolution -Handwriting Without Tears, Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, D’Nealian Handwriting -Executive Functioning Training at The Study Pro McLean, VA (2024) -Singapore Math, Eureka Math, Everyday Math
Judith uses frequent assessments to monitor her students’ progress. Her work is effective for students who have difficulties but do not have a formal diagnosis; as well as students who have been diagnosed with ADHD, processing language disorders, speech and language challenges, anxiety, dyslexia, dysgraphia, illnesses (physical and emotional) that have prevented continuity of education, and related learning challenges.
Throughout her career, she also served as a Curriculum Specialist and Educational Consultant, conducting private school admissions evaluations and diagnostic assessments in both the DMV area and New York City. She regularly applies testing and evaluation expertise to design targeted, individualized instruction.
Judith is deeply committed to fostering intrinsic motivation and a love of learning through customized, strengths-based instruction. As a Learning Specialist and Educational Advocate, she has extensive experience developing and evaluating IEPs; and implementing the professional suggestions given in Psycho-Educational Educational Evaluations. She values close collaboration with families, teachers, multidisciplinary school teams, as well as private professionals in the medical and mental health fields; to ensure the best outcomes for her students.
