Teachers

Sharon Yee followed her passion of teaching by enrolling and graduating from Lesley University with a Master in Education. Prior to that, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Boston University, and a Master from Bentley College with a concentration in Accounting, Business Administration and Taxation. Sharon is a Mass certified teacher in Elementary Education 1 – 6, Moderate Special Education K-8, and Middle School Math 5 – 8. She currently teaches 7th and 8th grade math. Sharon believes that a student-centered philosophy is where students learn best, when students’ needs guide the teaching approach, and the teacher acts as a facilitator. She lives in Newton and enjoys traveling, walking, playing the piano, and “fiddling” with the violin in her free time.

Jean S C Chong was born and educated in Singapore. She has 2 Associate Degrees, one in Business Studies and the other in Culinary Arts and Science. In addition, she also holds a certified degree in Montessori Early Childhood and Development issued by the American Montessori Society. She has been a teacher for preschool/kindergarten in the past 19 years and a Montessori teacher in the last 11 years of the 19 years. She is currently a Curriculum Director at Rockland Montessori Academy.

Wei Li Pek is from Singapore and received her bachelor’s degree from University of Essex (UK) in Electronic Systems Engineering with First Class Honors. Wei Li is a strong believer that early math matters. She believes the mathematics that kids are doing in Grades K-2 lay a strong foundation for the work they are going to do beyond that and sets them on a path towards numeracy skills and confidence in later life. In her spare time, Wei Li enjoys crafting, skiing and spending time with her family.

Yen Truong is from Quincy, MA and graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Education from Ashland University. Mr Yen holds two MA mathematics teaching licenses (grade 1-6 & 8-12). From 2009-2017, he has lived and taught in France, United States and Taiwan. Mr Yen speaks Vietnamese, English, French and Chinese and his multi-lingual skills and love for exploration have enabled him to travel all over the world. During his free time, he likes to play the piano.

Vernon Roque is from Los Angeles, California and received his Bachelor’s Degree of Science from the University of Southern California in Electrical Engineering. After finishing university, Vernon began his engineering career working for T-Mobile and continued his career with Panasonics Avionics Corporation.

After 4 years as an Engineer, Vernon decided to pursue a lifelong dream of his and traveled throughout South America where he would live in Colombia and teach English as a foreign language. Vernon has been teaching for 5 years. With his profound knowledge in mathematics and experience teaching children of varying ages, Vernon is able to blend effective teaching with a fun environment in order to create a class that is conducive to learning. Vernon believes that class is more enjoyable when class is well organized and interactive. For this reason, he finds Lexington Singapore School a perfect fit for him. He agrees with the school’s methods and philosophy.

Fun facts: Vernon enjoys playing jazz, bossa nova, and some classical music. He also can speak Spanish and a little bit of Portuguese 🙂

Soo Choi is an early elementary teacher from New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in Finance but found working with children more enriching. Therefore, she later attained a master’s degree in Early Elementary Education from Hunter College in New York City. Currently, she is teaching second grade in a New York City public school. She loves working with young learners and strives to make learning engaging for them. Math is a subject she enjoys and works to make math concrete for her students. She is experienced in implementing lessons from various math curriculums and is excited to join Lexington Singapore School. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family, savoring a good cup of coffee and hiking.

Shefali Frampton is an analytics “player-coach” consultant with more than 15 years of experience in applied analytics and data strategy for startups, marketing agencies, and Fortune 500 to 50. Her love of math and behavior extends to teaching and she has been grateful to begin this journey at Lexington Singapore School. She believes that early learning provides a huge advantage to children no matter the activity. The challenge (or opportunity) for early learners is to make learning fun. Learning how to engage each student and help them express confidence is her passion. Shefali holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Chicago and a Master’s in Public Policy from UMass Boston. She has passed the Elementary Math MTEL and plans to complete the requirements for teacher certification.

Rana Razi has been teaching math at various schools for the past ten years. Prior to switching to the field of education she had worked as an engineer in the Boston area. Her goal is to make math a more enjoyable subject for students. Currently she is working at Boston Public Schools.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Boston University

Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics grades (5-12) from Western Governors University

Teaching certification for teaching math grades 8-12 in Massachusetts and Oregon

Pelin Akan studied Industrial Engineering at Ozyegin University, Turkey, and she is currently doing a Master of Mathematics Education at Lesley University. She has been working in the education sector as a teacher, counselor, and manager for the past eight years and worked with students of various ages and backgrounds.

She entered the field of Mathematics Education so that she can combine her two life passions: Mathematics and Education. Upon completing her Master’s, she intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics Curriculum Design.

Neil Claffey retired in June 2021 after teaching social studies at Nashua High School and Nashua High School South for 32 years, having served as department chair for three years. He taught AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics for 19 years, which gave him an opportunity to hone his math skills. In his AP classes, Neil’s students were taught how to use graphs and other pictorial tools to understand and apply abstract core concepts – experiences that inform his work with the Singapore CPA methodology.

Neil also taught Microeconomics and Macroeconomics at Nashua Community College for several years.

Neil has a M.Ed. from Harvard University and a B.A. in Economics from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he had the pleasure of watching fellow freshman Michael Jordan help win an NCAA Basketball national championship for the Tar Heels.

Neil was elected to the Nashua Board of Education in November 2021. He and his wife have two sons, one of whom is a high school math teacher. He enjoys the outdoors, crossword puzzles, and Kenken.

Marianne Butterline earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Rutgers University. She worked as a software engineer and quality assurance analyst in the computer industry for nearly 20 years. Recognizing the important role technology could play in education, Marianne pursued her Master’s degree in Technology in Education at Lesley University. She is licensed as an Instructional Technology Specialist and teacher of Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, and has taught in Massachusetts public schools for 18 years. Marianne is passionate about building resilience in all learners, but especially in those who struggle, by encouraging the perseverance that leads to confidence and mastery.

Lavanya Vabai has a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics and Post Graduate Diploma in Mathematics. She also holds a certified degree in Montessori Early Childhood issued by the American Montessori Society and Master’s in Education from Gordon College, Massachusetts. Lavanya has been teaching Montessori Curriculum for last 7 years and strongly believes analytical skills can be imparted to all children through solid mathematical learning. She enjoys teaching and always gets fascinated how fast children can learn new concepts. Her hobbies include cooking different cuisines, enjoys music, movies and spending time with family.

Kinnary Raythatha has a diverse background teaching students and leading schools from the preschool to the high school level. Kinnary taught in New York City and worked as a Dean of Special Education as well as a Resident Principal in Baltimore County and City Schools. She earned a B.S. in Business Management from SUNY Old Westbury and a M.S. in Education from Fordham University. Kinnary is certified in Elementary and Middle School Education, Special Education, and School Administration. In addition, she is also certified as a preschool Teacher and Director. Earlier in her career, she was selected to participate in the New Leaders for New Schools program, a nationwide Principal training program for high potential leaders. In teaching, her overarching goal is to develop a student-centered environment where students are equal partners in the learning process. She believes that it is essential to engage students and facilitate their ability to be active learners.

Kate Ray is originally from Arlington, MA. Kate recently spent two years working as a preschool teacher in a trilingual school in Prague, Czech Republic. While she lived in Prague, she earned her Teacher of English as a Foreign Language Certificate and spent much of her time outside of the classroom teaching English to children and adults in individual and small group settings. She is currently pursuing a dual BA degree in Early Childhood Education and Psychology and hopes to pursue a graduate degree in Child Development, focusing on the many ways different facets of culture and educational styles impact learning.

Kate is also currently a Research Assistant in a Child Development Study regarding the efficacy of relationship-based autism intervention in young children. Kate strives to build a welcoming classroom environment in which each student feels comfortable and excited about learning. She is a strong believer that building great relationships with students and their families is at the cornerstone of learning. In her free time, Kate likes to travel and try out new recipes.

Jim Byrnes received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of  Lowell, and his M.Ed. in Integrated Studies from Cambridge College. He has spent his entire career in the classroom. Most of that time was spent teaching at the high school and college level. For the last 10 years he has taught students in grades 5 through 8 in an accelerated math program at a local private school.

He and his wife have one daughter, who is expecting their first grandchild in November. In his spare time he enjoys playing golf, riding his bike, and spending time with his family and friends.

Janet Keefe has a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics from Assumption College and a Minor in Elementary Education. She has a diverse background teaching children of all ages from Grade 1 to Grade 12 Calculus. During her college years, she worked at Nelson Place Elementary School in Worcester, MA as a Teachers Assistant aiding Elementary classes in all areas, including children with ABA, Autism, and Non-Verbal learning challenges.
Janet likes to make the classroom experience fun, including virtual learning, by engaging students to show their work, working as a team, and on occasion bringing in her guitar! She currently works full time doing Marketing as her other passion and skill set. When she has free time, Janet enjoys skiing and snowboarding. Janet is currently attending Graduate School, at Babson College in Wellesley, MA, looking to obtain her Babson MBA in Entrepreneurship and Marketing.

Indira Bhupatiraju has a Master of Education in Middle School Mathematics from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Indira has worked in Elementary/Middle schools as an Instructional Assistant and as a Teacher for more than 12 years. She enjoyed working with both Elementary and Middle school students and she earned a DESE Certification for Elementary and Middle School Mathematics for teaching. She strongly believes that every student can excel in math given right support and guidance by the teacher and enjoys working with children. She is passionate to teach concepts, sets high expectations for students and encourages them to try hard. She is currently working as a Middle School Math Teacher.

Ilene Weiner has been working with children from ages six to sixteen for the past 30 years. She has worked at a variety of schools teaching from different math curriculums. She currently works with Middle School students individually, in small groups, and in the classroom. She has previously taught math in grades one, two and three. Ilene graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in Economics and Psychology. She received her M.B.A. from Boston College and her M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts. She currently resides in Lexington.

Elsa Aviza-Oberg has taught exclusively elementary mathematics for the past 10 years. She has led professional development for teachers in Waltham Public Schools and coached teachers in math content. She facilitates a coding and mathematics program developed at the Education Development Corporation through a partnership with the Waltham Public Schools.

A Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate from George Washington University, Elsa earned a Masters’ Degree from Northeastern University. She is a strong believer in the importance of early math education for children, especially deep conceptual understanding that helps children succeed in algebra and higher level mathematics.

Dandan Zhou was inspired by her wonderful and caring teachers who made her want to become an educator herself. She studied mathematics and secondary education at the University of Memphis. After receiving her B.S., she taught at a public school in TN before moving to Chengdu, China where she taught for a few years. She experienced first-hand the differences between mathematical education in China and the United States, and became interested in understanding effective teaching strategies and best practices around the world.

Such interests led her to study Applied Mathematic at Northeastern University for her Master’s degree where she completed an independent project analyzing how cultural differences between Chinese and American students affect their mathematical curriculum.  Dandan is certified with Tennessee Professional Teacher License 7-12 and Massachusetts Initial Teacher License 8-12, and currently teaches in a high school in Natick.

In her career, Cristina had the opportunity to explore and apply her learnings in different fields of education – as a tutor for unprivileged students in a learning center, professional development coach for international schools and Leader of SW London Maths Hub where she was responsible for the progress of the Math departments of more than 50 schools in SW of London.

The diversity of her career in terms of training, experiences, projects involved and working environment (Europe, Asia, Middle East) contributed immensely to her professional development and she believes she will be a valuable asset in kids’ educational journeys. Cristina is a greatly responsible individual with a good work ethic, always aiming for the highest results for children.

EDUCATION
Postgraduate Certificate in Education
QTS – Qualified Teaching Status in Mathematics Education
University of Brighton, UK

B.Sc. Mathematics
Queen Mary University of London

Chandan received her Master of Science degree from Goa University, India with top honors and ranking 1st in her college. A devoted mother, teaching is her passion and she loves working with students at all grade levels. She holds Massachusetts Teacher’s License to teach students in Grade 5 to Grade 12 and has been working as Teacher/Substitute Teacher/Exceptional SAT tutor at both public and private organizations such as Neighborhood Charter School-Boston, High Expectations, LLC. Malden, Huntington Learning Center-Waltham and Tutor Doctor tutoring agency.

Amy Dolan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelors in Political Science and minor in Economics. She then earned a Master’s in Urban Affairs and Public Policy, specializing in Environmental Policy from the University of Delaware. During her time at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Amy worked with Indeginous students traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest, working with tribal councils, biologists and researchers, tracking salmon populations, deforestation, dam removal and native (environmentally sound) practices.

Amy returned (home) to Massachusetts, earned a Master’s in Teaching (Mathematics) from Simmons College, taught math for 4 1/2 years at Prospect Hill Academy charter school in Cambridge MA and 8 (and counting) years at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. Amy loves math, problem solving, music, reading, practicing yoga and spending time at the beach or playing outside with her family.