Marijke V, M. Ed. , (she/her/hers)

Welcome! My name is Marijke (pronounced: mar-eye-ka). I was born and raised in Pennsylvania to a Dutch father and an American mother. My interest in global studies began around the dinner table. This window into the world motivated me to become a foreign exchange student in Australia when I was 16. I spent my junior year of university in Paris studying international relations at Science Po. Before beginning my teaching career in my late 20s, I worked in large independent bookstores in Albuquerque, NM and Boston, MA.

My educational career began in Boston where I received my Masters in Education from Lesley University. I began teaching Grade 5 humanities at an independent school that focused on child development. The school’s core values helped shape me as an educator. I learned that it is important to meet people where they are and to determine how much you can help them grow. My first step into international teaching began at the International School of Aberdeen (Scotland). With this diverse international community, I worked with Grade 6 English Language Learners (ELLs). After that wonderful experience in Scotland, I moved to Singapore to work as a Grade 7 Reading and Language Arts teacher at the Singapore American School. Our team of teachers piloted a new model from the Readers and Writers Project from Columbia University's Teachers College, and I was able to fine-tune my skills as a reading and writing teacher. I ended my teaching career at the American International School of Budapest (Hungary). As the Grade 8 team leader, I helped to guide our team to develop an advisory/mentor program that supported the social and emotional learning of our students.

During my 21-year teaching career, I worked in 4 different countries, in 4 different schools with 4 different middle school grade levels. I have experience working with students who have ADHD & ADD and have learning differences, like dyslexia and dysgraphia. My experience as a teacher means that I know how to help students manage their time & materials, to learn to self advocate, and to break down seemingly overwhelming tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. I am comfortable working with students, parents, teachers, and other educational supporters.

Though my career was focused with Grade 5-8 students, I also have a lot of experience working with high school students who needed help managing their time and materials. I I found that sometimes high school students can be missing some of the key executive function lessons that are the core of middle school. Over my career, I have tutored many high school students and helped them fill in these learning gaps.

I am comfortable working with students who need someone to listen to them, to be an advocate, and either to be a cheerleader or that little voice that reminds them to stay the course. As we know, all learning is social and emotional. If students feel valued and listened to, then they will be open to feedback and new ideas because they know that their voices will be heard and considered.

I look forward to working with you and helping students find their voice and their confidence in themselves as learners!