077 – S3 E14 – "Play is connection." - Renée

homeroom is an international podcast bridging the education gap between the classroom and the living room by starting conversations impacting the next generation. In this episode, I speak with Renée, a learning specialist and educator—about her earliest memories of teaching herself how to read before 4 to receiving various interventions in schools for … yup, reading. We talk about the family members and school teachers and staff who helped to identify the help she needed to find academic success, and how—in a full circle moment—she became an interventionist who helps to identify students’ unique needs and collaborates with teachers and parents to develop individualized learning plans. Check out our conversation, join our ongoing discourse on social media, and subscribe for more. https://www.instagram.com/homeroomed You can also find a computer-generated transcript of our episode at https://www.homeroomed.com — Renee Pena Lopez is a passionate Learning Specialist and a proud native New Yorker. She is a licensed special education educator teacher who has a deep passion for children and their quirks. Renee pulls from her creative background in dance and her vast experience in an array of classrooms from museum education to progressive to play-based models. She truly believes that #playmatters in the lives of Littles and for it to matter it must be purposeful and work for the learner that it serves which is why she teaches guided play. Its her mission that learning be impactful for neurodiverse learners that create strong foundations that moves them to be their best selves. You can find out more information about Renee on her website at www.themagicoflittles.com. — Rée is a visual storyteller and educator exploring the consequences that mass education has on creativity, identity, and interpersonal connection. https://www.instagram.com/theinterdisciplinarian