Janice S. Armas
For over 21 years, Janice S. Armas has been a reading fluency instructor for children with specific conditions, including autism, learning disabilities, and visual/hearing impairments. She currently works as a Brighterly reading tutor and actively shares her specialized knowledge during 1:1 reading lessons and on the free blog section.
Education and professional skills
Janice has a firm educational background in special education. These are the institutions she attended to build on her skills:
University name
|
Degree
|
Field of study
|
Western Colleges, Inc |
Master of Arts in Education |
Special Education |
Philippine Normal University |
Master of Arts in Education |
Special Education |
Philippine Normal University |
Bachelor of Secondary Education |
Special Education and Mathematics |
Besides the formal education, this online reading tutor also aimed to expand her expertise through numerical courses and seminars, including some notable titles like:
- Seminar on Gifted and Talented Curricula and Programs
- Regional Mass Training of Teachers on Critical Content for Grade 5
- Intervenors Training for Deafblind Communication and Instruction
- Summer Training Program for Teachers of Visual Impairment
Janice’s experience before Brighterly
Before becoming the reading tutor for kids at Brighterly, Janice had pursued her teaching career for over 21 years. She began working as a SPED Lead Teacher in 2004, immediately after her graduation. Over 15 years and at several jobs, she worked with children and teenagers aged 3 to 21.
Unlike an average educator, she created individualized plans to accurately account for each child’s special conditions and ensure they receive proper training and homework help. At the position, she also had to provide the highest possible level of education for children with severe disabilities.
Then, from 2019 to 2024, Janice occupied the role of a Special Education Specialist. It’s when her responsibilities expanded to a managerial domain. Then, she closely collaborated with parents, therapists, service providers, and other educators on educational matters. In addition to the reading lessons, she also conducted classes in Mathematics, Science, Social Science, and Life Skills.
After such a long time in tutoring, Janice definitely has a word to say about her approach:
“I enjoy teaching reading comprehension to kids. While doing so, I know that I help them open up their world of imagination and gain knowledge about anything they want to know.”
In tutoring, I always provide age-appropriate, content-specific material based on requirements. I also consider the different learning styles of the students and always ask if they have any questions or clarifications.
Considering Janice’s ongoing self-improvement and her many-sided experience as an offline and online reading tutor, no surprise that she has earned numerous awards and certifications, including:
- National Awardee, Dakilang Pilipino Awardee, “A Woman of Substance, Dedicated and Exemplary Special Education Teacher of the Year”
- National Awardee, Asia’s Humanitarian Hero Awards 2024, “Asia’s Most Exceptional & Innovative in Special Education Specialist and Inspiring Humanitarian Hero of the Year”
- Outstanding Special Education Specialist, JUHSD
- National 2nd Place AsstCoach – Pupils With Visual Impairment on NCR Paralympics 2018, Goal Ball
- Best Demonstration Teacher in Manipulating Abacus in Teaching Mathematics for the Visually Impaired Students, 2015
Special approach for working with special kids
Janice S. Armas has devoted her entire life to working with children with special needs. Now, being the teacher at the Brighterly math and reading platform, she’s bringing in her priceless expertise in:
- Creating individualized plans for each child and changing them as needed
- Launching effective communication, which would build mutual trust
- Teaching students with the use of Braille reading and writing using a stylus-slate and a Brailler
- Transcribing and proofreading of the materials that visually impaired learners should read
- Using sign language to communicate with hearing-impaired learners