Martha is a graduate of Lesley University with a Masters in Education/Special Education. Her career began with teaching middle school in Brookline, Massachusetts, in a separate program for students who learn differently and have social/emotional challenges. Martha also taught at Lesley University for 19 years. She is certified in the Social Thinking method and specializes in Collaborative and Proactive Problem Solving. After moving to the western part of the state, she taught at the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton. Currently, she is supervising teachers who are completing their practicum. She also volunteers at the Treehouse Foundation in Easthampton, bringing her creative ideas to an after-school program for foster children. Martha sees herself as a learning partner; she uses the student’s strengths to provide an engaging experience that naturally generates participation and offers an opportunity to take a risk. When she is not working, Martha is outside walking in the woods, cooking, or playing board games with her grandchildren.