About Me

Hi, I'm Ms. Fitz!

With over 25 years of experience in education!

I provide ADVOCACY for students and

COACHING, MENTORING, TRAINING,

and WORKSHOPS for parents, guardians, families, teachers, educational professionals, and school communities.

Let's talk about how I can help!

914-806-9987

coachingcounselingtutoring@gmail.com


Are you a struggling teacher, parent, or educational professional and are not sure where to turn next?


Reach out to me so I can share my expertise with you and help you improve outcomes for you and your students.


I can teach you what I already know from years of experience in helping countless students, parents, colleagues, and friends.


Let me help you understand the world of learning disabilities, IEPs, and behavioral struggles

in students that learn uniquely. Let me empower you with knowledge and strategies for you and your students based on what I do that has proven successful!


I'm Ms. Fitz, and I am here to help YOU!



Please feel free to reach out to me at (914) 806-9987 or

coachingcounselingtutoring@gmail.com

 

COMING SOON



JOIN OUR EXCLUSIVE LIVE

SPECIAL EDUCATION

DEEP DIVES WITH MS. FITZ 

ON GOOGLE MEET


STAY TUNED

Services

Advocacy: 

Advocating for students

that have IEPs

to ensure accommodations

and services

for success 

   at school and at home.


Coaching, Mentoring, Training: 

For parents, guardians,

families, teachers, and

educational professionals.


 Workshops: 

For everyone, on how

to reach all students

no matter what

their learning challenge may be.

 TESTIMONIALS


Hi Helene!


THANK YOU SO MUCH for speaking with me on Sunday...I so very much appreciated your time!  Your knowledge and words of wisdom proved to be so valuable.  I have already incorporated a few of the strategies that you shared with me and my friend was very enthusiastic about some of the ideas.  My co-teacher was also on board with Cool-down-time, Your Time/Our Time, and brain breaks before and after lessons.  Thank you also for the attached resources!  They are amazing and I am so excited to add them and your ideas to my teacher toolbox! 


I had my 3 words ready before the meeting, and actually said them and breathed them in and out ALL DAY.  Very calming and helpful.  I also recited the words, "What you think about me is none of my business"  all day as well.  Thank you! 


This truly is your calling!  Your students are so fortunate to have such a kind, caring, supportive, and dedicated teacher.  You must be amazing in action. ☺️


Thank you again!  Your time and wisdom is really what pulled me through the day and this meeting...you really have know idea how much! 🙏


Warmly,

A.H.



Blog

Do I have AY..DEE.AITCH.DEEE?

By Helene Fitzpatrick • 11 Jul, 2023
Do I have AY..DEE.AITCH.DEEE? Composed by: Ms. Fitz! Part 1 As my students read aloud from Rick Riordan’s novel, ‘The Lightning Thief’, we discussed the main character, Percy Jackson, and how his impulsivity and struggles with reading make school, well, not the best experience for him. While my students and I bring the characters to life, and examine and analyze every character trait mentioned in the book, my students start to ask me questions… “Ms. Fitz, do I have AY..DEE.AITCH.DEEE?”... “Ms. Fitz, Miss Fihhhhhhhtz, do I have dis-leh-ksia?” I respond with, “Hmmm, what do you think about the way ADHD and Dyslexia affects Percy?” “Is this familiar to you?” “MS. FITZ, THIS IS ME!!!” “I have trouble with reading!” … “Ms. Fries (as they like to joke around), I think I have ADHD…” Just like Percy, almost all of my students struggle with either the hyperactivity that is caused by one type of ADHD, or the tendency to daydream and focus on anything and everything that is not right in front of them, which is caused by the other type of ADHD. BUT- Did you know that the most brilliant, creative, and innovative thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and creations come from those of us that are wired-differently, especially, if you are blessed with ADHD! Yes, I said it, blessed. I know we are not in Church here, but, I have to tell you that with ADHD comes the ability to hyperfocus in your area of great interest, which often becomes an area of expertise. Plus, students that think differently challenge teachers to bring out the best in their approach to teaching, by really paying attention to what truly motivates a student that is not motivated by boring teaching whatsoever. My students ask questions, pose different points of view, do research, think outside-of-the-box, and have lots of energy. When a young person comes to my classroom, and they’ve gotten themselves in trouble for the first 10 or 11 years of life, and feel as though there’s no hope for them in the classroom environment, it is then that I tell them that whatever they experienced before, well, this is going to be quite different. To help a child focus that thinks differently is to find out what works for them, not for you, but, what works - - -for them- and stick to it. Furthermore, when you have ADHD, you just don’t want to sit there all day in a chair, you want to move your body, create something with your mind and hands, and use the energy you have for good. If not for good, well, we know what usually happens…that child starts to act-out, usually, out of pure frustration, boredom, and the like, and the teachers can’t handle it. In my classroom, we teach our students how to self-regulate their energy, emotions, and how to know their brain-wiring, how it works, and how it affects us. My students can tell you themselves that they have ADHD, and it is indeed a Super-Power. Do I have AY..DEE.AITCH.DEEE? Composed by: Ms. Fitz! Part 2 I almost forgot that I was also writing about Dyslexia. This is a learning disorder that affects the way vowels and consonants, letters, blends, and digraphs, and all that Jazz, are seen and processed by someone with this unique wiring in the brain. Some students see a ‘b’ as a ‘d’ and vice-versa, but it's not that simple. Having Dyslexia is like knowing a first language, and then, when my students learn English, it’s like learning a second language. A person that has Dyslexia sees one way, and has to translate in their mind to see like someone that does not have Dyslexia. I cannot tell you how many students have come to me over the years that have gone through years of schooling, and no one could figure out how to reach these students! It’s heartbreaking and frustrating for the students, and families. Then, they come to me, and I have to break down that teenage wall of “I cannot do this!!!” to build the new foundation of “Yes, I want to read, I want to read!!!!!” As a teacher and role model, especially during this time in education, it is vital that we are open to discuss ADHD and Dyslexia, so that our students, our children, our kiddos do not carry on the ‘stigma’ of yesteryear. One thing I make sure to talk about is mental health and how our brains work, and how important it is to know how we learn best. I want my students to be empowered young people, to know themselves, and to be experts in how their brains work, and to be able to say to their next teacher, “I know how I learn best…let me show you.” Helene Fitzpatrick M.Ed. has been a Middle School Self-Contained Special Education Teacher at a private NYS approved 853 school in Manhattan for the last eight years. Ms. Fitzpatrick has 20+ years of experience. She is an inspiring educator, coach, and advocate who brings joy, fun, creativity, and excitement to learning. Her mission is to empower students, families, colleagues, and the next generation of educators. Ms. Fitzpatrick now, in addition, offers education consulting services to teachers, students and their families, and school communities at large. You can contact Ms. Fitz at coachingcounselingtutoring@gmail.com or at 914-806-9987.
Share by: