Our first Instructor Spotlight of the 2021-2022 school year is Christina Henriquez, an instructor and Program Coordinator at P.S. 24 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Christina worked in daycare for a few years before becoming a paraprofessional at P.S. 24, where she has worked for 10 years. With the support of the NYC Department of Education, she obtained a degree in Disability Studies…

This summer, we are excited to highlight Mr. Pablos Vargas, a Reading Rescue instructor at PS 43 in the Bronx. Mr. Vargas unexpectedly began a career in education six years ago. After studying and planning to enter the social work profession, he says he “stumbled into education” after a friend recommended that he look into an educational role.

Before COVID-19 fundamentally changed the running of schools across NYC, Ms. Nayda Tinsley had a number of responsibilities within P.S. 158 in Manhattan. Having worked at the school for 20 years, she assisted with lunchroom supervision, recess supervision, office work, and other critical non-instructional roles. However, as schools transitioned into remote or blended learning in 2020.

Johanna Gomez is one of 754 Reading Rescue instructors who began her Reading Rescue journey during the 2020-2021 school year, our most unusual year on record. As a literacy coach, she is accustomed to helping students who struggle with foundational reading skills.

Constance has been working for the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) for about six years. CPC and P.S. 2 in Chinatown have had an ongoing partnership since 1972, which includes CPC staff running after school and summer programming for the school. Constance is their Education Specialist and in 2015, she joined the P.S. 2 Reading Rescue team.

Denise is a Reading Rescue instructor at P.S. 56 in Staten Island, where she has worked as a paraprofessional for 13 years. Prior to her work in a first grade classroom for the past two years, Denise has spent time in a variety of K-5 classrooms.

Patrick is a paraprofessional and Reading Rescue program coordinator at P.S./I.S. 54 in the Bronx. We visited him at school to hear about his work as a program coordinator, instructor, and all-around education leader in his community.

Jessica Alestra is a passionate first year Reading Rescue instructor at P.S. 69 in Jackson Heights, Queens. We are excited to introduce you to her here, and in our Instagram story. Jessica has recently returned to school to become a teacher, as is the case with both of her two Reading Rescue instructor colleagues. She loves being a paraprofessional and is confident that her classroom experience will make her a better teacher.

Congratulations to the first 2018-2019 Instructor of the Month SASHA GARCIA! Sasha is a paraprofessional at P.S. 106 in Brooklyn in her third year as a Reading Rescue instructor.