Leslie Sacks Blaustein

Young Readers and Writers Program

 

Ms Blaustein Resides in New York City where she currently teaches an exclusively gifted and talented population in a K-5 school. She brings more than twenty years of teaching expertise in both public and private school settings to her students. Ms. Blaustein holds a master’s degree in Education and an Advanced Certification in Gifted & Talented Education. She has completed specialized training with Columbia’s Teachers College Reading and Writing Project,  Metamorphosis Teaching Learning Communities, and Math In the City. She prides herself in developing lifelong learners through students' ability to be readers, writers, mathematicians, and independent thinkers.

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Mary Mellow

Young Readers and Writers Program

 

Ms. Mellow served as a Head Teacher for over 40 years in Dalton, the well-known private school in New York since 1979. She retired in 2020, and is expert in reading and writing programs.

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Karen Han

Young Readers and Writers Program, Math Program

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Ms. Han’s passion for teaching started in high school when she began helping young children in her neighborhood in NY with their homework. She began her teaching career in South Korea, her home country, where she was a Kindergarten Teacher at an international school. After two wonderful years of teaching, she returned to New York to attend Teachers College at Columbia University to obtain her Masters in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. Since then, she has taught grades K-3 in New York City Independent schools including the Dalton School. Ms. Han believes that true learning takes place when children are in a nurturing environment where they feel confident, successful, and engaged with the world around them. She encourages them to ask questions, take risks, and become efficient problem solvers. She has experience with various literacy and math programs, and adapts them to meet the needs and interests of each student she works with.

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Natasha Peña

Young Readers and Writers Program

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Ms. Peña was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. She discovered her passion for Education from the moment she took her first Education class. Upon graduating from Swarthmore College, Ms. Peña went on to become a 2nd Grade Assistant Teacher at Collegiate School for three years, and a 3rd Grade Associate Teacher at The Brearley School for one year. During this time, she attended Bank Street College of Education, where she received her Masters in Literacy and Childhood General Education. She strives to integrate her passion for creativity, particularly the arts and creative writing, into the classroom across all academic subjects. She currently lives in New Jersey. When not teaching, Ms. Peña enjoys a wide array of activities including traveling, crocheting, painting, reading, and spending time with her family.

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Akanksha Sadana-Raswant 

Young Readers and Writers Program, Math Program

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Akanksha Sadana-Raswant has a Master of Arts in Childhood Education and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. Akanksha spent six years in the classroom and currently works at The Dalton School as a reading specialist and tutor. Prior to this, she taught at The Town School for four years. Akanksha coaches a range of learners, supporting children in strengthening skills and concepts, while empowering them to deepen their knowledge by highlighting areas where they feel most successful. She has experience teaching a variety of literacy and math programs, and adapts curriculum to ensure she is meeting each child's learning needs. Hands-on learning, creativity, real-world connections, and technology are integrated into sessions to support and enable critical thinking skills.

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Yuchen Xin

Novus Coding Club

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11th grader in a private high school in Seattle.He is the president of coding club and the TA for primary school coding course. Passionate programmer and game developer, having worked on various projects in the past. Very skilled in programming in C#, Java, and Python, with a lot of experience in C/C++ as well. Experienced programming teacher with a demonstrated history of working in the e-learning industry. Advanced Learning Services (ALS) International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Candidate.

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Junseok Ryu

Novus Coding Club

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12th grader of Mountain View High School in California. He loves coding and teaches coding courses for primary school students. He is fluent in programming languages including Python, Java and C.